The Light Hawk War
by Chaos Lord
Summary: Ranma joins the Tenchi crew to battle a foe more powerful than any that he has faced before.
1. Prologue And So It Begins

The Light Hawk War  
  
By: Chaos Lord  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to their respective owners. The concepts dealing with the Time Gates and the Ultimate Good and Evil and the Forbidden belong to PacMan.  
  
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Prologue  
  
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In a large chamber there lies a young man. The man has a blanket covering him up to his armpits, so we can't see what he looks like underneath it. On the part of his chest visible to us are numerous scars, while they are not prominent they are visible in the light coming from the bank of florescent light shining down from the ceiling. Some of the scars we see are from various weapons but the majority is what appear to be scratch marks from some kind of animal. His arms are muscular without being like those of a body builder. His face is youthful, but showing some signs of maturity. His eyes are closed, but from the way that they are moving beneath his eyelids, he seems to be in REM. His hair is black and you can tell that part of it is pulled back. Along the edge of the bed is an array of diagnostic displays. The displays show the standard heart rate and brain activity. Since all the displays are showing normal vitals we can assume that the man is in good health. An IV drip is delivering nutrients to keep him that way. Surrounding the walls are various instruments, some appeared to be standard medical equipment, such as a crash cart and a X-ray machine. The rest of the equipment like the large transparent tube that appears to be slightly recessed into the wall can not be identified as any technology known to humans. Also so that the whole "hospital" effect is complete, the smell of medicinal alcohol permeates the air. The one item that seems to be missing from the room is the one thing one would expect to find in any room, a door. Which begs the question how did the man and the myriad of equipment get in the room.  
  
Out of seemingly nowhere, a door appears in the entry-less room and out this miraculous aperture steps two people. One is a young girl with spiky red hair pulled back with a purple cloth into a large, puffy pony tale and concerned green eyes. She is wearing a high-necked, long-sleeved, brown shirt. Over this she is wearing a sleeveless dark green jacket, these are tucked into a pair of pale green shorts that end right above her knees. Following her into the room is a young man with short spiked hair. His brown eyes are also full of concern but also had hints of confusion. This young man is wearing a brown, long-sleeved work jacket that appears to have seen many a day of long hard work. The black pants he is wearing also show signs of long use. After they both step out of the door and into the room, it closes and disappears. As they walk over to the young man's bed not a word is spoken. The silence continues as the red head looks over the man's status, after confirming the man's condition she turns to her companion who takes this opportunity to say something.  
  
"So, Washu, how is he," her companion asked in concern.  
  
"According to these reading he is in excellent condition. He should re-gain consciousness soon, though he will probably be a little sore from lying in bed for three days," Washu replied.  
  
"So why do you need me," he asked in confusion. "You did just say he was going to be ok."  
  
"Well, Tenchi, as you said he's fine physically, but there were unforeseen complications that crept up during the surgery," she said, concern and worry mare her features as she turns to look at the still unconscious young man.  
  
"What kind of complications," he asked apprehensively.  
  
"As you know, when Mihoshi brought him in, he had extensive injuries and internal bleeding," she continues at seeing Tenchi's nod of agreement. "The actual repairing of his internal organs and cardiovascular system were easy, but unfortunately I didn't have any blood on hand and I didn't have enough time to synthesize enough blood. That was why I asked you to donate some blood, of course as you know I took just enough to stabilize him while I could synthesize some more blood. But apparently your blood effected him in a way that I thought was previously impossible."  
  
"What did it do? It didn't hurt him did it," Tenchi said with a look of alarm and some regret at the fact that his blood might have hurt the young man.  
  
Washu shakes her head and smiles, all the while thinking, "ah Lord Tenchi, you are such a good person. You can't even stand the thought that you might of even indirectly hurt someone," she then says. "No, no your blood didn't hurt him, per say, in fact I would say he actually benefited from it," her smile got bigger as she saw the look of relief on Tenchi's face.  
  
"So what exactly did it do," Tenchi asked in confusion.  
  
"I'll tell you, but first I would like you to use your abilities to look at him yourself," she said while pointing at the man's still form.  
  
"Ok, I'll try," his voice still laced with confusion. Tenchi walks over to the medical table and places his hands over the young man's chest. Before he accesses his power he thinks, "I'm sure glad I stepped up my training with Grampa." After the battle with Dr. Clay and Ryoko's merging with Clay's android, Zero, Tenchi realized that the people coming to the shrine looking for trouble have been getting increasingly more difficult to defeat. And every time something came up he was basically useless until the very end when he was somehow able to active his Light Hawk wings. He had seen what his Grandpa could do with the Master Key, such as forming those moveable energy shields, and he wanted to be able to do some of that. So during the last year he has been training more rigorously with Grandpa so that he would be able to do everything with it that his Grandpa can. He still can't willingly access the power of the Light Hawk Wings, but with his Grandpa's guidance he has finally found that part of himself that is the Wings. But despite all of his training he still can't break down the wall in his mind keeping him from using that awesome power. His training with his Grandpa also taught him how to detect things much better than before. Before he started his training he was only vaguely aware of the power that is his Juraian heritage, but now he can constantly feel that power and he can tell the differences between the aura of a Juraian and that of a Human, thus Washu's request. After placing his hands over the young man's body he starts glowing blue. The blue glow then travels into his hands and after collecting there for a few moments, the glow then seeps into the young man's body.  
  
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Tenchi places his hands over the unknown man's body and closes his eyes. He looks into himself to find his power like he practiced. Once he felt it he concentrated it into his hands and from there into the man. Being careful not to injure him, Tenchi looks through the man's aura. Initially he sees a standard aura like all humans, albeit much more focused, but as Tenchi goes deeper into the man's aura he finds energy patterns like that of Jurains. It surprises him a little until he realizes this must be from the blood he donated. As he is about to pull back out of the man he observes something odd about the Juraian energy. Instead of staying at its current level or diminishing like he would expect, it is in fact growing and merging with the man's aura. This causes him to pullout as fast as he can without harming the man. As soon as his aura is completely out of the man, he looks at Washu in alarm. As his wide brown eyes look into the knowing eyes of Washu, he starts to speak.  
  
"Washu, he's." Tenchi starts  
  
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Washu watched as Tenchi walked over to the young man and start his examination. She was not startled about the glow since she knew about his training with Lord Katsuhito, and she has seen Tenchi using his power in his everyday life. The main thing that she was interested in was his reactions to what he found out about her new mysterious guinea pig. She observes as he closes his eyes and takes on a look of intense concentration. As Tenchi sends his aura into the young man she sees him take on a look of interest. His expression then becomes one of surprise only to change immediately into one of understanding. "Good," thought Washu, "the tutoring I've been giving him over the last year is paying off." She watches disappointedly as the blue glow surrounding the young starts to intensify, signaling the beginning of Tenchi's withdrawal from the young man. Her frown of disappointment quickly transmutes itself into a grin at seeing Tenchi's renewed surprise. "So, he finally noticed it. I was wondering if he would," thought Washu. The glow quickly recedes from the man and Tenchi looks up in shock.  
  
"Washu, he's." Tenchi starts.  
  
"I know, he's part Juraian," interrupted Washu, her face now a blank mask.  
  
"B-but how," asked a still shocked Tenchi. "You said he was human. At first I thought that what I was sensing was just the left over Juraian power from the blood I donated, but the energy looked like it was growing and becoming a part of his personal aura."  
  
"He was human, before he was injured that is. Now, due to what humans call a fubar, he has become part Juraian. While I'll admit only a small bit of his genetic structure is Juraian, that part is increasing by the hour and quite honestly I don't know when it will stop."  
  
"But how, you said that the part of me that is Juraian was small enough that his body wouldn't notice it and it would just concentrate on the part of me that is human."  
  
Washu nodded her head, agreeing with him. "Yes you're right, I did say that and normally that would have been the case. His cells would have recognized the human portion of your DNA and would have ignored the Juraian portions like it ignores the so called "junk portions" of the genetic code, but something was different in his case," she said as she looks over to the young man.  
  
"What could be different about him? He looks normal enough to me," he said while looking at the man.  
  
"Well yes, physically and genetically he appeared to be a normal human. In fact the only thing I could find that was different about him from normal humans was an enhanced healing ability. I thought that this ability was only restricted to the healing of physical injuries but apparently this ability extends all the way to healing at the genetic level. While this normally wouldn't be a problem, all it would mean for him is certain things such as the damage caused by intense radiation would be repaired so that he wouldn't be effected as much."  
  
"So what does that have to do with this," asked a confused Tenchi.  
  
"I'm getting to that. As you may or may not remember, when dealing with damage as extensive as his I usually use nanites to temporally increase the bodies natural repair system several hundred fold."  
  
"Yeah, I remember you told me about that during our tutoring sessions about internal medicine." "Although," thought Tenchi, "why I would need to know as much about internal medicine as most surgeons is beyond me."  
  
"If I had the time to synthesize some blood for him the nanites would not have had any unplanned effects on him, but there was a X-factor that I did not take account for," she said in embarrassment. "I should have though I mean this is Lord Tenchi I'm talking about," thought Washu.  
  
"What do you mean X-factor."  
  
"I mean your Light Hawk power."  
  
"Huh."  
  
"You might not know this, but your Light Hawk power is always with you, even when you are not actively using it. Although I can't figure out how it works I can detect it." She turns away from him, "Oooh Tenchii" Washu said, "you know I might be able to figure it out if I could have that iddy biddy sample." When she turns back around she is now in a nurses uniform and has a leer on her face, "Come on Tenchi, let nurse Washu help you get comfortable, Mwa ha ha ha," she laughs maniacally as she wiggles her fingers.  
  
"Eh he he Miss Washu, maybe you should keep on telling me about that guy," said Tenchi as he was scratching the back of his neck.  
  
"Oh you big meanie, you don't let me have any fun, you know that," she then sadly changes her nurses outfit back to the one she was wearing before. She then snaps her fingers like she just remembered something, "That's right," she then pulls out a plasma rifle and points it at Tenchi, while frowning she asks, "What did you call me Tenchi?"  
  
"Uh . . . . I said Little Washu. YEAH that's what I said LITTLE WASHU!" said Tenchi as he is backing away and waving his hands in front of him in a placating manner.  
  
Washu then smiles as she puts the rifle back to wherever she stores them, "That's better. Now, as I was saying, your Light Hawk power is continuously with you, making very minute changes to the space around you. While the changes are not that great and can't be seen with the naked eye, they are never the less there and I can measure them. If you had donated blood to the community and it was used to help someone we wouldn't be having this conversation, your Light Hawk power would have no effects other than maybe making whoever received your blood a little stronger for a short time. But immediately after the blood would enter that person's system, the little Light Hawk power in the blood would rapidly lose it's potency and after a short time, maybe a week at most, the power would have degraded to nothing. That being said, when I used your blood on him, it interacted with his nanite boosted, above-average healing ability and the Light Hawk power in your blood caused his healing ability to mutate his genetic structure." She the activated her holographic terminal and brought up a image of Human DNA, "As you can see, this is a representation of his DNA before any modifications were made to him." She then brought up a new DNA diagram up on the screen, "This is what your DNA looks like," she then highlights a portion of the strand, "This is part of your genetic code the contains your Juraian DNA." She then calls up the image of a third DNA stand, "This is his DNA as it appears now. See this," she then highlights a section of the third strand, "this is the new Juraian portion of his genetic code. If you take the Juraian code from your DNA and place it over his new Juraian DNA," she then types some keys and the highlighted section of Tenchi's DNA moves over to the highlighted portion of the unknown man, they line up precisely. "See. ."  
  
Tenchi stops looking at the screen and turns to look at Washu with a look of shock and amazement, "The two are exactly the same. So what does that mean for him," Tenchi worriedly asks as he looks over at the man on the bed.  
  
"For your first statement, yes it looks exactly the same because they are exactly the same. Apparently his genetic healing copied your Juraian DNA and pasted it to his own. Currently a third of his DNA is changed, and even though I removed the nanites two days ago the changes are continuing. While I can't stop the changes from progressing, I can tell you that it will in no way hurt him."  
  
"Well that is a relief."  
  
"Yes, it is. Now about your question of how this will effect him, I hypothesize that since he is now part Juraian, he will be able to use Juraian energy just like you. I think that when he wakes up, we should tell him about the changes to have happened to him. After we tell him, I think it would be the most prudent course of action to have him train with either you or Lord Katsuhito so can safely use his new power. Otherwise he might become a danger to himself or others," she stated with concern.  
  
After thinking for a few moments Tenchi nods his head and begins to speak, "I agree with you, Washu, and I would be happy to train him to use his power. But I wonder, how much do you think we should tell him about us?"  
  
"I think we should tell him everything. If we are not completely honest with him he might not be willing to train with you. That would be dangerous for anyone that happens to be in his way when his power activates, and I don't think we want that do we," she said with a small grin on her face.  
  
"No, you're right, and I think that I should be the one to explain everything to him."  
  
"Why is that? I mean I don't mind, I'm just interested in why you think you should be the one to tell him," Washu asked with a slightly confused expression on her face.  
  
"Well, I feel responsible for the way he is now. I mean, I know it really isn't my fault, I should blame whoever beat him up, but I just can't help thinking that it is my blood that made it so he can't live a normal life anymore," he replied as he lowers his head in guilt.  
  
Washu smiles at that, she stands up from her floating cushion and places her hand on his shoulder. Tenchi raises his head and his eyes meet those of Washu, but before she can offer any words of encouragement she is interrupted by the sound of a low bitter laugh.  
  
"Heh . heh . heh."  
  
Washu and Tenchi both turn at the sound of the laugh and are shocked to find that the young man on the table is now awake. As they begin to walk over to the man, they are stopped as if they are held back by an invisible force by the sound of his voice, a voice filled with such pain and anguish it is as if he carries the entire world on his back.  
  
"A normal life, it doesn't exist. Not for me anyways. A normal life is for people that have jobs, a place to call home, and people that love them. I don't have that and I never will, so there is nothing you can do that will ever change that," said the man with hopelessness and sorrow in his voice.  
  
"Your awake," says Washu in surprise. "I didn't think he would be awake for another hour or two! He will make an excellent guinea pig," thought Washu, with manic glee.  
  
Tenchi shudders, both at the great pain in the man's voice and at the feeling he is getting from Washu, who is standing beside him. As he turns to Washu, he sees her with a manic grin on her face and watches as her fingers begin to twitch. "Oh God," thought Tenchi, "she's got that I want to experiment on something look. I've got to stop her, if I don't, I don't think he can handle a visit from "Nurse Washu"," he thought in panic. "But how do I do that, . . . come on Tenchi, think! . . . I've got it!" He then turns back to the man and asked him, "How do you feel," all the while keeping a nervous eye on Washu.  
  
"I don't think you should be asking me that. You should probably be asking the little angry tomboys in my head that are banging away with mallets, how I feel," he replies with a groan.  
  
"I think I can remedy that," answers a once again professional Washu.  
  
The man looks over to Washu and gives her a weak smile, "Thanks! I'd appreciate that."  
  
Washu then walks over to the head of the medical bed and enters some instructions into the bed's control computer. As soon as she is done, a previously hidden tray pops out of the bed, revealing a white gun-like device and a small vial of some kind of clear fluid. She retrieves these and places the vial into the gun, like one would load a bullet. She then cocks the gun and moves to place it against the man's bare upper arm, but before she can pull the trigger she is once again stopped by the man's voice.  
  
"Wait! What is that and what are you going to do with it," asked the man, in a slightly panicked voice.  
  
"Why this is only the most advanced medicinal injection apparatus in the entire universe, capable of delivering 200 cc's of treatment in .2 seconds. And it's loaded with "Lil' Washu's" deluxe anti-headache formula and low-grade liquid explosive, it will cure any headache in twenty seconds or blow you up. But anyway you look at it you'll not feel anything anymore. I'm the greatest! Mwa . .ha . .ha," laughed a prideful Washu, as she basked in her greatness. As she looked back to the man on the bed, she didn't see the look of awe and amazement like she expected. Instead she saw him looking at her in confusion laced with fear and pain at hearing her laugh.  
  
"What," he asked in confusion.  
  
She deflated a little at that, "Nobody knows greatness when they see it any more," she grumbled. In a louder voice, "Its an advanced needle and headache medicine," she simplified for his benefit. "Would you like me to use it on you?"  
  
"Oh. Sure if it will get rid of this blasted headache," he replied with pained happiness.  
  
Tenchi on the other hand was in a panic. He, unlike the man on the bed, heard the part of Washu's back patting that included the possibility of the man being blown up. "I have to stop her, I don't think our guest wants to deal with the possibility that he might be blown into tiny little chunks." He then spoke up, "Eh . he . he. Little Washu are you sure that is safe? You did say that it might not be completely good for him," he said in a concerned panic.  
  
"Of course I'm sure, Tenchi. I finished the clinical trials on rats a month ago and only 17.6% percent of them blew up. I'm absolutely positive that it is safe for him . . . well at least 82.4% positive," she answered, embarrassed the number wasn't a hundred percent.  
  
"82.4%! 82.4! I'm sure that will comfort him when he is blown into a million bite sized pieces!" Before he can continue his tirade the man on the bed interrupts him.  
  
"It's ok. Let her use her medicine, I don't mind."  
  
"Whaaat! But you might be blown to pieces," Tenchi said incredulously.  
  
"Been there, done that, along with many other things. Besides I'm not lucky enough to really be blown up, so she can inject me and get rid of this damn headache."  
  
"Ok," Washu presses the gun against the man's arm, "this might hurt a little," she said with a comforting smile. She presses the trigger, and with the sound of compressed air being released, her anti-headache medicine/liquid explosive is injected into the man.  
  
Tenchi, who is now on the floor with his arms covering his head, is saying prayers for the, about to be blown up, man's soul. After a few seconds of no sound except the steady beeps of the man's heart monitor and the angry taping of Washu's shoe, he lowers his arms and opens eyes to see a very perturbed Washu.  
  
"Tenchi, as you can see he is still in one piece. So if you would be so kind to GET UP OFF MY FLOOR, I'd be oh so happy," she says with false niceness. "Not everything I make blows people up, you know."  
  
Tenchi gets up, all the while he is scratching the back of his neck and laughing nervously. "Eh . . .he . .he I know that Washu, I was just . . . following proper lab safety procedures. Yeah! That's it!" "Great thinking there Tenchi, she is sure to have bought that," he thought to himself. All the while he was mentally patting himself on the back. But before Washu could get suspicious and do something . . . . uncomfortable to him, he decided to change the subject by talking to the newcomer.  
  
"Hey there! We've done all this talking and we haven't introduced ourselves," he said. "My name is Tenchi Masaki, and the lady who cured your headache is Washu, pleased to meet you," as he finished he put his hand out in greeting and had a smile on his face.  
  
The man on the bed stared into Tenchi's eyes as if he was peering into his soul. After a few seconds a smile formed on his face and he shook Tenchi's hand. "The name is Ranma, Ranma Saotome."  
  
******* End of Prologue  
  
Authors Notes: This is the first work of fanfiction that I have written a complete chapter of, so if you have been able to read this far you know why it is like it is. As said above, this story takes place a year after the events of episode 13 of the Tenchi OAV. I will be using some ideas I got from the Tenchi manga, mainly I will be using stuff from the manga that will let me expand on the various Tenchi characters. I will not be using any events from the manga, but some of the characters might make appearances. As for the Ranma ½ continuity, that will be discussed in the next chapter. If you are wondering why Ranma's speech is a lot better here, this too will be explained in the next chapter. If the method of Ranma's getting Jurai power has already been done I would like to say sorry, but after reading a good deal of Ranma ½ / Tenchi Muyo crossovers I have never seen this before. 


	2. Chapter 1 A Look Into the Past

The Light Hawk War  
  
By: Chaos Lord  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to their respective owners. The concepts dealing with the Time Gates the Ultimate Good and Evil and the Forbidden belong to PacMan.  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
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In the life of one, Ranma Saotome, there were only two ways of waking up; being thrown through a window in order to fight his lazy panda of a father and the other is that of PAIN. Be it the pain of regaining consciousness after having his skull caved in by his violent, ill-tempered, and yet in some sadistic way caring fiancee. Or the pain of the heart and of the soul, knowing that when he wakes up and leaves the quasi safety of his futon he can count on beatings, insults, and trickery. And most recently the possibility of loosing his mind and becoming a rampaging killer that no one could ever hope to stop. Today it seems that the gods in their constant game of, "Wheel of Ranma," have spun the wheel that is his life and landed on PAIN. And pain it is, a mind cracking, eye bursting pain that though limited to just his brain it feels as if someone is jamming red hot pokers into his still shut eyes and at the same time someone else is pulling his brain out of his ears. The pain is so great that it is as if there was fog bank in his mind keeping out any rational thought.  
  
Cutting through the pain, like a foghorn, Ranma heard some voices. Although he currently couldn't tell the difference between the two voices, he could tell that there are two people talking together. Now that he had something other than the pain that he could focus on he could tell that he wasn't laying on his futon and it didn't feel like the mattress he had in his room at his mother's house. Whatever it was the only word that could describe it is COMFORTABLE, in fact it is the most comfortable something he has ever laid on. Now that he is thinking a little, he is able to somewhat push aside the pain and he can hear the voices more clearly. Listening to the two, he can now tell that the voices are a male and a female and that they are discussing something.  
  
Deciding to listen to what the two are talking about, he heard the man say, "I agree with you, Washu, and I would be happy to train him to use his power. But I wonder, how much do you think we should tell him about us?" Ranma perked up a bit at the word training, but he still kept his eyes closed because he knew that if he opened them he would be blinded by the bright hospital light. He now knew it was a hospital due to the smell of alcohol and the steady beep beep of a heart monitor. Which made him wonder why would the bed be this comfortable? Every hospital bed he's been on has been very uncomfortable  
  
He then overhears the man's companion, probably that Washu person, say something in reply. "I think we should tell him everything, if we are not completely honest with him he might not be willing to train with you. That would be dangerous for anyone that happens to be in his way when his power activates and I don't think we want that do we." At hearing that he could become a danger to others he decides to take a chance and open his eyes. As he expected the lights were really bright and to his abused brain it seemed as if he was staring into the very heart of the sun. Suppressing a groan so as not to interrupt the duo. He blinked his eyes and forced his head in the direction that he heard the voices. As his eyes came into focus he saw two figures with their backs facing him, they where looking at some sort of screen. One was what appeared to be a girl sitting on a floating cushion, her spiky red hair obscured both her clothes and whatever the two were looking at. The man standing next to her looked about Ranma's age and had close cropped, spiked black hair with part of it in a small pigtail. The man was wearing a brown work jacket and a pair of black pants that seems to have gotten as much use as the jacket. His suspicions about being in a hospital were confirmed at seeing all the medical equipment along the walls, some of the items were familiar to him from the few times in the past when he was in a hospital. The other things such as the recessed tube were unfamiliar to him, but he wasn't concerned about that since he didn't know that much about regular medicine.  
  
After listening to the two talk about who is going to tell him something, he hears the man say something to, who he can only assume is that Washu person, that causes Ranma to laugh. "Well I feel responsible for the way he is now. I mean I know it really isn't my fault, I should blame whoever beat him up, but I just can't help thinking that it is my blood that made it so he can't live a normal life anymore." A normal life, HA! That is one of the funniest things he ever heard, him the "great" Ranma Saotome having a normal life, it was so funny and yet so painful he couldn't stop himself from laughing.  
  
"Heh . heh . heh."  
  
This caused the duo to stop talking to each other and spin around to see the source of the bitter laugh. Even though the two were now facing him he still couldn't see their faces, due to the fact that he had turned his head back towards the light to laugh. In his pain addled state the bitterness and emotional hardships he has had to face in his short life came to the surface. For perhaps the first time in his life Ranma Saotome spoke from the heart. "A normal life it doesn't exist. Not for me anyway, a normal life is for people that have jobs, a place to call home, and people that love them. I don't have that and I never will, so there is nothing you can do that will ever change that." The pain and despair hurt so much that he wanted to cry but he didn't because he did not want to appear weak in front of others. The tears would come but at a time and place of his choosing.  
  
He heard the one he assumed to be Washu exclaim in surprise, "your awake!" "Wow," he thought bitterly, "she's a master of the obvious."  
  
After a few seconds of nothing but silence and the beep of the heart monitor the man's voice rang through. "How do you feel," asked the man, his voice tinged with panic. "How do I feel," thought Ranma. "How do I feel?! I've got a headache the size of two Mt. Fuji's and he asks, "How do you feel. Well mister, quite frankly I feel like crap." Of course, due to the training he did with his mother he didn't say that. He wanted to stay on the good side of his mysterious benefactors. So instead, he decided to say something nicer.  
  
"I don't think you should be asking me that. You should probably be asking the little angry tomboys in my head that are banging away with mallets, how I feel." Ok at least it was somewhat better than what he thought of, I mean he only trained with his mother for six months. If he didn't have a headache he would have thought of something better. So stop harassing him for Pete's sake.  
  
"I think I can remedy that," answered the little girl called Washu, in a professional tone.  
  
Ranma smiled weakly at that, the little girl wanted to help him and once again renewed Ranma's faith in humanity. He looked over to her and saw what she and the man looked like. The little girl, Washu, was wearing a brown shirt with a dark green over jacket and a pair of pale green shorts. Her green eyes had a look of concern in them, deciding to humor the child, Ranma replied, "thanks! I'd appreciate that."  
  
He watched as the girl walks over to the head bed and after she disappears from his field of view he can hear the clicking of someone using a keyboard. At first Ranma thought that the girl was going to get him some aspirin for his headache but when he didn't see her walk out of any door and instead the typing he began to wonder. When the typing stopped Ranma heard a drawer open on the side of the bed. He then saw the girl pull a white gun and a tube filled some clear liquid and he became slightly concerned. When she put the tube into the gun and cocked it slight concern became intense concern. And when she moved to place the gun's barrel against his arm intense concern became mind numbing terror, the kind of terror he gets when Akane comes in with a dish of something that not even the Devil would eat and tells him she made it all just for him. Deciding to stop her and maybe get an explanation on what kind something he is about to be subjected to, he says.  
  
"Wait! What is that and what are you going to do with it," he asked, in a slightly panicked voice. This showed the amount of self-control Ranma possessed that his voice had only a slightly panicked edge to it, is amazing. Because even though he is terrified inside, if he shows his terror he will be in so much trouble, the headache would be a joy compared to the beating he would receive if he showed any sense of fear or apprehension at using her stuff. He learned his lessons from Nerima well.  
  
Her expression took on a look of hurt, "Why this is only the most advanced medicinal injection apparatus in the entire universe, capable of delivering 200 cc's of treatment in .2 seconds. And it's loaded with "Lil' Washu's" deluxe anti-headache formula and low-grade liquid explosive, it will cure any headache in twenty seconds or blow you up. But anyway you look at it you'll not feel anything anymore. I'm the greatest! Mwa . .ha . .ha." As she kept on talking her look of hurt became one that was a mixture of both pride, which is ok in his book and insanity, and in the life of Ranma Saotome, insanity is not always conducive to one's health. Especially the part about explosives, but he figured he could handle it, "I mean if explosive okonomiyaki, chain throwing duck boys, and Saffron can't kill me, I doubt that liquid aspirin will." The thought of all the things he has had to live though made him depressed. Also the sound of her laugh gave him some wicked Kodachi flashbacks.  
  
Of course everything else the girl said went right over Ranma's head, that is why his response to Washu's back patting was, "What?" The confusion that he felt at her words was clearly obvious in both his voice and expression.  
  
Ranma could tell that she didn't like his reaction when she deflated a little. When she started to grumble, Ranma became worried, in his experience when a women grumbles it usually means that he is going to be in a world of pain. She then directed her speech at him, "Its an advanced needle and headache medicine," her voice a dull monotone. "Would you like me to use it on you?"  
  
Hoping to get on the girl's good side he replied in the happiest voice a man with a headache the size of Fuji can. "Oh. Sure if it will get rid of this blasted headache."  
  
Ranma heaved a mental sigh of relief at seeing the smile form on the girls face, "Thank god," he thought, "that was close." As Ranma watched the girl he also kept an eye on the man with her. When he saw the man's face lose all it's color Ranma inwardly smiled, "He must have heard the part of her rant about the medicine is also an explosive. Heh, that must be what I looked like whenever Akane made me some of her so-called "food"." He then watched as the man's eyes began darting around as if he was searching for something, "He's probably trying to come up with something to get her to stop." The man's face took on look of resolution, "So he's thought of something. This should be good."  
  
"Eh . he . he. Little Washu are you sure that is safe? You did say that it might not be completely good for him," said the man. Ranma didn't miss the sound of panic in the man's concerned voice. "Might not be completely good for him," thought Ranma, "she said it might blow me up. What does he live in, his own fantasy world!?" At the man's question Washu took up a look of indignation, "Oh boy, that guy is gonna get it now."  
  
Washu then haughtily replied, "of course I'm sure, Tenchi. I finished the clinical trials on rats a month ago and only 17.6% percent of them blew up. I'm absolutely positive that it is safe for him . . . well at least 82.4% positive," by the time she finished her tone of haughtiness became one of embarrassment. "She's probably embarrassed that the number isn't 100, I can understand that," and he could. If there was one thing he knew for sure it was that he had to be the best in whatever he set his mind to. And if it wasn't perfect the first time then he would continue at it until it was. It depressed him, all the things he had to endure and for what? A truckload of fiancees that he no knowledge of until they showed up at his feet. Guys out to kill him at the drop of the hat and others who jump at the chance to make false assumptions about him and his deeds. On many a night, when his only companions were the stars above, a thought would make its way through his mind, "What's the point. If being the best meant only hardship and suffering then why do I always try so hard to keep it." And immediately after that thought ran it's course another one, from a part of himself that he hid from all others and sometimes even himself, rose up to challenge it. "I must be the best because if I'm not then all the work I have done will have been in vain," and that was one of the reasons he left Nerima. After all the time he spent with the Tendo's Ranma learned something, one can't define one's self through the art alone. Just look at Happosai, his father, or himself. How well would any of us do if we could no longer use the art? So Ranma decided to get rid of this weakness in himself. Knowing that in the chaos of Nerima he would never be able to find a life, Ranma left.  
  
After listening to the man named Tenchi yell at Washu incredulously Ranma decided to stop him. After all if she could make an aspirin- explosive, who knows what she could do to him.  
  
"It's ok. Let her use her medicine, I don't mind." And he really didn't. Ranma knows the sound of pride when he hears it and Washu's voice had plenty of pride in it. With his luck it'd probably give him the runs.  
  
"Whaaat! But you might be blown to pieces." Ranma was happy with that. That this perfect stranger was concerned with his safety made him happy. In his experience not many people care about another's safety before they ever get to know them.  
  
"Been there, done that, along with many other things. Besides I'm not lucky enough to be really blown up, so she can inject me and get rid of this damn headache." Which at this point was the really important thing. When talking about her aspirin, Washu said it best, "but anyway you look at it you'll not feel anything anymore," and if he blew up then he would no longer be in any pain, either physical or emotional. "Besides," he thought, "maybe I'll be able to talk without this headache getting any worse."  
  
Washu then smiled and started the gun towards Ranma's arm. "Ok," she then pressed it against his arm. The cold of the barrel slightly stung. "This might hurt a little," she said with a comforting smile. As she pressed the trigger Ranma could hear the sound of compressed air being released. While that is what he heard, what he felt was a sharp stabbing pain in his arm. A few seconds after being injected, the pain, both in his arm and in his head, disappeared.  
  
After the pressure in his mind eased, Ranma realized that Tenchi was nowhere to be found. He then remembered that as Washu was moving the gun towards his arm Tenchi dove to the floor. "Heh, he's probably on the floor expecting me to blow up." He then looked over at Washu and saw her eyes narrowed in anger, "hoo boy, when she gets done with him he's gonna wish he was the one to blow up."  
  
"Tenchi, as you can see he is still in one piece. So if you would be so kind to GET UP OFF MY FLOOR, I'd be oh so happy," she says with false niceness. "Not everything I make blows people up, you know." "Well that's a comforting thought," Ranma thought wryly  
  
As the man named Tenchi got up he was scratching the back of his neck and laughing nervously. "Eh . . .he . .he I know that Washu, I was just . . . following proper lab safety procedures. Yeah! That's it!" "Oh come on! He should have said that he was praying to her greatness. Following proper lab safety procedures. Feh." Ranma watched as Tenchi moved his eyes from Washu and focus on him.  
  
"Hey there! We've done all this talking and we haven't introduced ourselves," he said. "My name is Tenchi Masaki and the lady who cured your headache is Washu, pleased to meet you," when he finished his hand shot out in greeting and had a smile on his face.  
  
Ranma stared into Tenchi's eyes trying to see if this guy could be trusted. What he saw astounded him, this man before him had a spirit similar to that of Kasumi. Although this man's cheerfulness was not forced as was hers. After a few seconds a smile formed on his face and he shook Tenchi's hand. "The name is Ranma, Ranma Saotome."  
  
********  
  
"Well Ranma, Ranma Saotome," said Tenchi with a smile, "how do you feel now?"  
  
"I feel good, although I'd like to get out of this bed. If that's ok?"  
  
"I've got no problem with that but Washu might. What do you say Washu," Tenchi asked with a smile.  
  
"Sure he can, just let me get something." A small black portal opens beside her and she sticks her hand into it. When her hand comes out she has a camera. After she points it at Ranma she then starts talking again. "Ok you can get up now," she said with a leer.  
  
"Uh Little Washu what's the camera for," Tenchi asked in dread.  
  
"Why it's for when he removes that blanket," she replies in happiness.  
  
Ranma then slightly lifts up the blanket and sees that he is completely naked beneath it. "Ack!" Ranma then pulls the blanket up to his neck, his face red in embarrassment. "Um can I get some clothes here!?"  
  
"Washu!"  
  
"He . he . he . I was just kidding there Tenchi." She then snaps her fingers and another black portal appears over Ranma. Out of the portal dropped a red shirt, a pair of black pants, and some underclothes, right onto his head.  
  
"Thanks," came Ranma's muffled voice. The clothes and Ranma then disappear under the blanket. When this happens Washu and Tenchi are treated to the sight of someone putting on their clothes underneath a blanket. After a minute of contorting the blanket launches off the bed and a fully clothed Ranma appeared in his traditional Chinese outfit. "Wow this feels great! How did you know I like to wear this," he asked, confusion and gratefulness apparent on his face.  
  
"Well when we found you, you were wearing clothes similar to these. They were ripped and bloody so I couldn't let you use them. But I could make a copy of them so I did. Of course I didn't use silk like in your old clothes. No, I used a lightweight titanium zakurium weave capable of withstanding blows in excess of 3,000 psi. I'm such a genius mwa . . ha . . ha."  
  
While she is laughing Ranma leans over and in a stage whisper he asks Tenchi, "Do you know what she said?"  
  
While shaking his head Tenchi replies, "I have no idea."  
  
"Let me guess, she does this a lot."  
  
"Pretty much, yeah," says Tenchi while nodding his head.  
  
Seeing the guys obvious lack of enthusiasm Washu goes directly into her simplification, "Their really durable."  
  
Ranma and Tenchi simultaneously replied, "Oh," comprehension evident on their faces.  
  
"So now that we now know who you are, Ranma, do you know how you ended up in the forest, beaten and bloody," Washu asked in concern. After all it's not everyday you find a guy beat up in the wilderness.  
  
Ranma's face took on a neutral expression and his eyes clouded over, "Yeah I remember. I remember it real well . . ."  
  
********  
  
Flashback Three months after the wedding incident  
  
Today one Ranma Saotome is woken up in the usual manner . . . for him anyway, that of being thrown through the window. During his flight he does a flip in the air and lands upon a boulder in the Tendo yard. As he waits for his attacker he begins to think, "Damn that old man. Why can't he let me sleep in every once in a while?" When his father landed on the adjacent boulder, Ranma decided to take the offensive instead of waiting for Genma to do the same.  
  
Genma in his shock over seeing Ranma taking the first shot, was late in raising his defense. Because of that Ranma was able to deliver a blow that incapacitated Genma's left arm. Before Ranma could lay another blow Genma jumped back onto the stone wall. "Is that all you've got boy? I've felt stronger hits from babies," Genma boasted, hoping to get Ranma angry and off balance. Inwardly though Genma was concerned, "The boy has never done something like this before, at least not in the first exchange."  
  
Kasumi was also concerned. She recognized what Ranma did to Genma. He hit one of the pressure points she learned from that book Dr. Tofu let her borrow. "I wonder why he did that. He usually doesn't do that kind of thing, I wonder if he is ok," she thought.  
  
Genma's concern only grew when Ranma didn't respond to his verbal jab. But he didn't let his concern effect the outcome of this fight. So Genma hurled himself off the wall and towards Ranma. As he was nearing him he got ready to throw a punch at Ranma. When he was in range Genma launched his attack but was surprised when Ranma redirected him head first into the boulder behind him. Genma hit the boulder with a meaty "thwak" and fell to the ground. After waiting in a defensive position for a few seconds, Ranma took on a look of panic and jumped to the ground where he frantically checked his father's vitals. Seeing that his father is alive and relatively unharmed, except for being unconscious, Ranma calmed down and headed back into the house.  
  
"Hi Kasumi, how's it going?"  
  
"Oh fine Ranma," she replied in a daze.  
  
"Well that's good. Do you need any help with breakfast?"  
  
"No I don't but thanks for asking."  
  
"No problem. I'm going to head inside and take a bath ok."  
  
"Sure," she says with a smile. Ranma then begins to walk off, but before he can get far he is stopped by Kasumi's voice. "Ranma."  
  
He stops and turns to face her, "yeah. What's up?"  
  
"You know you can always come and talk with me if you need to? Right?"  
  
"Yeah, I know and thanks for the offer but I'm fine," he say with a smile and then he continues on inside. In the dining room he spots a still sleepy Nabiki, "Hey Nabiki. I hope the Panda and I didn't wake you," he says in concern.  
  
"Uh no. You guys didn't wake me. I guess I'm just used to getting up this early," she said, shocked that he would ask.  
  
"That's good," Ranma then continued on to the furo.  
  
Nabiki watched as Ranma headed out of the room and when he was gone Nabiki said, "well that was weird."  
  
"So you noticed."  
  
Nabiki turned around and saw Kasumi standing in the outer doorway. Though she said it to Nabiki she was looking at the spot where Ranma left the room, her face a mask of worry.  
  
"Kasumi?"  
  
Said girl turned her head and her gaze turned onto Nabiki.  
  
When she didn't respond Nabiki grew concerned. "Kasumi, what's wrong?"  
  
"I don't know, but he used a pressure point to disable Mr. Saotome's arm and then threw him into a boulder."  
  
"So, he gets hit in the head all the time why would that matter," said a still not quite there Nabiki.  
  
"If that was all then I wouldn't be concerned, but after Ranma threw Mr. Saotome into the boulder he was rendered unconscious. Usually when that happens Ranma just comes inside but this time Ranma looked really panicked and he even checked to see if Mr. Saotome was ok," she said and when she was done she turned her head and looked at the still unconscious form of Genma Saotome. "I've never seen Ranma get upset at the prospect of hurting him, but this time . . ."  
  
"Don't worry Kasumi, I'm sure if there is anything wrong Ranma can deal with it," Nabiki said assuredly.  
  
While still looking Genma, Kasumi replied, "I hope you're right." She then turned and headed into the kitchen to cook breakfast for the occupants of the Tendo residence.  
  
********  
  
When Ranma left the dining room he hurried upstairs to get the clothes he would wear after his soak. On the way to the guestroom Ranma's face was devoid of all emotion. After retrieving one of his red Chinese shirts, a pair of his black kung-fu pants, and his bathing supplies he headed downstairs to the furo. The only thought on his mind the entire time was, "Must get to the furo." Upon arriving to the changing room Ranma set his bathing supplies on top of the washer. He then took off his sleep wear, which consisted of a muscle shirt and a pair of boxers and threw them into the clothes hamper. After that he picked up his supplies and headed into the furo.  
  
As he entered Ranma was relived that no one was there. After getting a stool and bucket to use Ranma then sat down on the low stool and began to fill the bucket with cold water. When the bucket was filled to the top he then picked it up. He stared at the water in the bucket for a few moments, preparing himself for the opening of his emotional floodgates, and then dumped it over his head. Once again changing him into a girl. When the change was complete a shudder passed through his body and with shaking hands he set the bucket back onto the tile floor. As soon as his small hands left the bucket they flew to his face. Covering his eyes as sobs silently wracked his now female form.  
  
"I hurt him," he sobbed, "why god? Why do I always hurt people?"  
  
During the battle with Saffron, Ranma saw the dark side of the art. He saw not the side that was protecting the weak, learning, and fun. No, Ranma saw the side of the art that was merciless, evil, and killing. Ranma did something at Jusendo that no one should ever do, he took a life. All his life Ranma was taught that a life no matter how wretched and evil must not be taken. Even though Saffron was immediately reborn Ranma still ended Saffron's previous incarnation. During the trip back to Nerima he did some serious thought and in his grief he decided that he would no longer hurt anyone. Even in self-defense, thus his use of pressure points and redirecting Genma's momentum.  
  
Once he has regained partial control over his raging emotions, Ranma then continued with his bathing. While tears continue their silent trek down his face Ranma scrubbed his body to remove any dirt that had accumulated since his bath the night before. After he was sure that he scrubbed his whole body, Ranma refilled the bucket and dumped the cold water over his head. With the soap and grime washed off Ranma stood up and started for the furo. Before he immersed himself in the hot water and thus returning to his birth form, Ranma looked into the mirror over the sink. There he saw the face of the one that he considers his savior and said simply, "Thank you."  
  
And thank her he does. Unlike the others who have been to Jusenkyo and received its rather dubious "blessing," Ranma liked his curse. Oh sure, at first he hated the fact that with the simple application of cold water his muscular male body was transformed into a red-haired beauty. But as time went on Ranma came to realize something was different about himself, something other than the obvious change in gender. As the time since Jusenkyo increased Ranma became more aware of his emotions. He always had emotions but he had been suppressing them since his father told him that showing emotion made you weak and girlie. During one of his stargazing sessions he realized something, all that suppressing of emotions isn't healthy. In fact now that he can look back on it Ranma realized that if he had never gotten this curse he would probably ended up a very cold hearted and lonely man. Now though, his emotions have been much closer to the surface but even though emotions come much easier to him now Ranma still can't label some of them but he's getting there.  
  
Ranma then steps into the hot water and he changes back into a man. As he is soaking, Ranma lets his mind drift and relax. After soaking for awhile and rebuilding the façade that lets him get through the day, Ranma gets out of the furo and dries off, his mind blissfully empty. He then walks into the changing room and puts on his clothes for the day. Before exiting the changing room and beginning his day Ranma stopped to make sure his mask was in place. While it isn't a real mask in the sense of a costume but a mask one creates to keep others unaware of their true selves.  
  
********  
  
Ranma walked into the dinning room and observed that the only one at the table was Mr. Tendo, who was already reading the morning paper. Shrugging his shoulders Ranma headed into the kitchen to see if Kasumi needed any help with making breakfast. Before he can get there he is stopped by the sound of Mr. Tendo's voice.  
  
"Ranma m'boy, how are you this fine morn," asked a very pleased Soun. He was happy because for the first time in a year he was able to wake up at a leisurely pace instead of waking to the sound of flesh pounding on flesh.  
  
"Just fine, Mr. Tendo," he said with a smile.  
  
"Excellent," said Soun and then went back to reading his paper.  
  
Seeing that the conversation was over Ranma continued on into the kitchen. When he entered the domain of Kasumi Ranma was assaulted by the smells of another wonderful meal. Ranma sees Kasumi standing with his back turned to him humming a little tune to herself.  
  
"Hey Kasumi, is there anything I can do."  
  
"Oh Ranma, thank you. Yes if you don't mind will you set up the table," she asked with a smile.  
  
"Sure," Ranma walked over to a cabinet and retrieved enough bowls and cups for everyone then headed back into the dinning room. As he heads to the table he notices that Nabiki is already there. Her hair is still ruffed up and she is still in her pajamas but unlike most mornings she is wide-awake.  
  
********  
  
As soon as Ranma entered the dinning room Nabiki was focused on him. After her discussion with Kasumi she became concerned about Ranma. Some might say that Nabiki Tendo is a cold-hearted bitch and they might be right if they weren't family or friend. But for those that she considered thus, her heart is as big as the Moon, she just doesn't show it that much because if she did others might try to take advantage of her. Ever since she heard what happened at Jusendo she has cared for Ranma very much and is very worried at this sudden change in his behavior.  
  
As she watched Ranma set the table she didn't notice any apparent difference in his demeanor, but it could be mask. Just like the one that she uses on a daily basis. "This will bear further observation," she thought calculatingly. "I'll tell the girls to keep an eye out for Ranma's 'friends' maybe I can give him a day off. It's the least I can do." She broken out of her thoughts by Ranma's voice asking her something.  
  
********  
  
"So Nabiki, got any plans for today."  
  
"Just the usual, why do you ask," she asked with interest.  
  
"So scaring the masses and then stealing their money, right," he said with a wry grin.  
  
"Ok now something is really up, he has never played around like this before. I better play along," thought Nabiki. "Well I wouldn't say steal. More like borrowing the money on a quasi permanent basis," she said with a grin to match Ranma's.  
  
Of course this playful banter was interrupted by a jealous fiancee. When Akane saw her idiot of a fiancee doing what appeared to be flirting with her sister she saw red. "That jerk flirting with Nabiki like the pervert he is. He probably wants to get her and one of his bimbos and do something perverted," as she was thinking this she got increasingly angrier. She then walked over to her unsuspecting fiancee and belted him into the yard, "JERK."  
  
She continued walking until she got to the porch and began yelling at her fiancee, "You pervert! Stop flirting with my sister. She doesn't want to be any part of your schemes," she yelled and in the process doing more damage to her fiancee than that done by her punch.  
  
"B-but Akane I wasn't flirting with her. I was just being nice," his voice full of pain and remorse.  
  
"Yeah right! Being nice, I know why you where being nice," her face full of contempt and with that she turned her back and headed inside.  
  
Ranma then got up and brushed off the dirt that was on his clothes. With shoulders drooped Ranma made his way inside but before he could make it to the porch The Amazing Idiot Squad (IE Genma and Soun) appeared in front of him.  
  
"Raanmaa! Why where you cheating on my little girl," yelled an irate Soun Tendo.  
  
"Yes boy speak up, how could you disgrace yourself so," asked Genma while shedding crocodile tears.  
  
"Dad, Mr. Saotome, Ranma wasn't flirting with me. He was just being nice," said Nabiki, her voice like that of hell frozen over. "Damn it Ranma doesn't need this right now," she thought angrily.  
  
Knowing that Nabiki would never give out info for free if it wasn't true, Genma and Soun replied rather unintelligently with, "Oh."  
  
Genma in his rather obtuse way then came up with a reason why his lazy son would be nice to Nabiki. "Tendo my friend, I've got it. His being nice to Nabiki obviously means that he wants to get married to Akane," he said excitedly.  
  
Knowing where this conversation is going and not wanting to be apart of it Ranma decided to employ the Saotome Final Technique. He ran.  
  
"Boy where are you going," Genma bellowed.  
  
But Ranma didn't answer he just ran. Some would say that he was a coward for running but they obviously haven't had two men with the combined brainpower of a Raisinette try to force them to marry someone. So he ran to the one place they would never think of following him to, Furinikan High. Deciding that going to Uchan's or the Nekohanten would be a bad idea Ranma went straight to school, hungry and in his house slippers.  
  
As he passed through the gates of the school Ranma felt a sensation not unlike that of a person waking over his grave. Thinking that it was just a premonition of a future beating, Ranma just shrugged off the feeling and continued on into the school. This was a grave mistake.  
  
Known to a privileged few there are nexuses throughout the world. These places of power are focal points for various types of energy. Places such as Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza are focal points for a myriad of energies. Others like the Statue of Liberty lie at the intersection of only two or three lines of energy. At all of these places one tends to feel something different than in normal places. Of all the types of energies that flow throughout the universe the most dangerous and most necessary is that of chaos, otherwise known as chance and random. Unlike other powers that may have millions if not billions of focal points throughout all of creation chaos has a very limited quantity, perhaps a thousand at most. As one approaches these points of confluence the laws of probability are broken down and at the exact center of the points almost anything can happen. Now normally these intersections of chaos are docile and they usually don't bring danger to those who live there. That is under normal conditions, but should a key be introduced into one of these places the regular energy begins to rise until it explodes violently. Now a key is a person that for some reason or another is a magnet for chaos or is a nexus themselves. A person that by their very existence can cause a radical change in history, either good or bad.  
  
It just happens that there is only one nexus of chaos energy in our portion of the universe and it is directly underneath Furinikan High. And there is only one key that regularly visits this place, Ranma Saotome.  
  
As Ranma waited for the rest of his class to arrive he decided to meditate some and prepare himself for the rigors of school. After sometime the class began to fill up and he was brought out of his meditation by someone tapping on his shoulder. As he opened his eyes he saw Nabiki standing there holding his bag and shoes.  
  
"Here you go Saotome," she handed him his stuff.  
  
"Thanks Nabiki," he said after taking his belongings from her. As he was putting on his fighting slipper he asked her, "So how much do I owe you?"  
  
"Hmm. Give me ten yen and I'll call it even," she said with a grin.  
  
"Ten yen? Well I don't know, that seems pretty steep to me but I guess I can afford that," said Ranma, his grin a match for Nabiki's. He then pulled out his money and gave her ten yen. "Here you go Miss Tendo."  
  
"Why thank you Saotome, I'll be on my way now," with that she turned and left, a grin still on her face.  
  
"Well she's certainly been nicer lately, I wonder why?" He was interrupted from further contemplation by Daisuke's voice.  
  
"So Ranma you trying to get with Nabiki too," he said with a leer.  
  
"Yeah Ranma going to take a walk on the ice queen side," Hiroshi's leer matched Daisuke's.  
  
"No way man, She's my fiancee's sister for Christ's sake," cried an indignant Ranma. Of course Ranma's life being how it is Akane walked in to hear what Hiroshi said but was to angry to care about what Ranma said.  
  
Said fiancee stormed over to Ranma's desk and picked up his school bag. She then took his bag and began to hit him with it. As she was hitting him she was yelling, "You jerk. Will you stop trying to seduce my sister!?" After she stopped yelling she hit him with the bag a few more times and when she was done she threw the bag onto Ranma's face with a final, "Jerk." She then walked over to her own desk and plopped down, all the while muttering under her breath an occasional "jerk" or "idiot" where heard coming from her.  
  
After getting his bag off of him with a groan, Ranma slowly sat up. Internally Ranma silently despaired, "Why does she always hit me for no reason. I can understand hitting me when one of the girls latches on to me, but I wasn't doing anything to her sister. Why would I? I'm just trying to be nice to her." When he was back sitting in his chair Ranma opened his bag and started to rummage through his back, making sure that nothing was damaged. Seeing that everything was more or less in one piece, Ranma pulled out the supplies he would need for his first class. After his teacher called role he immediately went into his discussion for the day.  
  
As the teacher was droning on about the subject at hand the students where treated to a sight that was becoming common and yet still creepy. Ranma was taking notes and paying attention to what the teacher was saying. He answered questions as accurately as he could and asked questions when he didn't understand what was being said. The reason for this sudden change in Ranma's scholastic behavior was also Jusendo. After Ranma made his vow to no longer hurt others he realized that he needed something other than martial arts to fall back on. And as horrible as it sounded to him Ranma knew that school was the only way for him to do something else. So Ranma turned his intellect that for his entire life was focused on the art and focused it on school. While he wasn't making straight A's he was doing much better than before, to his mother's obvious delight.  
  
As weirded out as the people in Ranma's class were at his behavior they were always happy at lunch. Both because it was lunchtime and also because Ranma still jumped out of the window to go to lunch. Today though everyone was on edge, Ranma and all his fiancee's except Akane were nowhere to be found and it was eerily quiet. The only thing that made people comfortable was the fact that upperclassman Kuno was ranting and raving that he had finally defeated the vile sorcerer Saotome. Even though Kuno was bringing the masses a measure of comfort they were still residents of Nerima and being so they all had a sense for when something bad was going to happen and this sense was ringing like a air raid siren.  
  
********  
  
One might ask where was Ranma and the rest of the fiancees during lunch? Well Ranma was on the roof of a building two blocks away, peacefully eating the lunch that Kasumi made for him. She had made the lunch twice as large as she usually made him and included with the lunch was a note,  
  
"Ranma, Here is the lunch I made for you. I hope that Nabiki didn't charge you too much. ^smile^ Since you left in such hurry and didn't eat breakfast, I made your lunch twice as large as usual. I hope you enjoy it. Kasumi."  
  
After eating the lunch that Kasumi had so carefully and lovingly prepared Ranma took out a book and read until the start of class. Ranma was reading one of the stories his mother requested him to read. It was a rather good one two. Who would have thought that Shakespeare would be good to read. He was also deep into the Umisenken because as much as he thought being on a roof was safe he knew that his father's technique would make it impossible for others to notice him. The technique was one of the reasons that he still even respected his father a little.  
  
As for the fiancees, Ukyo was at her restaurant preparing for her date with Ranma, a date I might add that Ranma had no clue about. Shampoo was at the Nekohanten waiting tables and planing to see her airen when he was done with his school. As for Akane she was at school getting angrier and angrier that her fiancee was not there to try the meal she had oh so carefully destroyed . . . er prepared.  
  
Five minutes before the bell Ranma gracefully landed in his classroom where his short-tempered fiancee once again attacked him. "Ranma where were you. With one of your floozies no doubt, and after I worked so hard to make you lunch. This was the best meal I ever made," and it was. Unlike the other things she cooked, this meal would only kill half the people one of her normal ones would. And with an, "I HATE YOU," and a slap she finished ranting and walked back to her seat. Miss Hinako, still in child form, then entered the room and asked everyone to take their seats. After everyone was seated she began her lecture on proper verb usage. While she was talking the entire class was taking notes, that is all but Akane. She was glaring at Ranma and silently thinking of all the things she could do to him as punishment.  
  
********  
  
And that was how the rest of the day went on. In Ranma's class he was busy taking notes and trying to be the best student he can. Akane was busy fuming, building her anger , layering it on top of each other until she became a raging volcano. At the Ucchan, Ukyo was making her final touches to the outfit she was going to wear on her date. At the Nekohanten, Shampoo was getting prepared to visit her airen. And at the Tendo Dojo, Genma and Soun were putting the final touches on their perfect plan to get Ranma to marry Akane.  
  
And unknown to most, the well of power beneath Furinikan High grew.  
  
********  
  
Ranma's Classroom 10 Minutes Before the End of School  
  
Ranma Saotome sat in class taking notes exactly as Nabiki taught him to: writing down anything he felt important and anything he had a question about for later review. As he was taking notes he felt only one thing, absolute boredom, but as bored as he was, he continued doing his work. Knowing that despite his boredom, this was important to his future and without a decent education his future would be very bleak indeed. As he was working Ranma could feel the anger coming from Akane increase as time passed. He could only guess what she was thinking, "Heh, she probably thinks that as soon as school is over I'm going to have an orgy with Ukyo, Shampoo, and Nabiki or some other stupid thing like that." His thoughts then took a decidedly more depressed tone, "Why does she always think that about me? Can't she tell that I don't like it when they attach themselves to me like one of those aliens from that American movie. And doesn't she realize that no-one wants to eat her damn food. I would mind so much if she actually tried it but since I've never seen her on the floor unconscious she must not." And this is when all the little things that Akane has done to him add up. Now one must remember that as normal as he is acting he isn't himself. So in his altered state he came up with a thought that would shatter the very fabric of Nerima, "She really hates me. I mean I didn't believe her since she always says it but she must really hate me. No-one can say they hate someone that many times and not mean it."  
  
"Look at that pervert sitting over there. He's probably doing all this work to get on Nabiki's good side. And he didn't eat my lunch. I can't believe that he would rather go hungry than eat my wonderful meal. I put all my love for him into that meal and he didn't even eat it, the Jerk," she silently fumed. Some might wonder if she truly loves Ranma and the answer would be yes. But unfortunately for her she can't express her love in a meaningful caring way therefore she ends up bashing Ranma with the nearest blunt object she can get her hands on.  
  
As Akane was fuming and Ranma was brooding some thing was going on under their feet. Deep under Furinkan High the well of Chaos energy was rapidly reaching critical mass and very soon the status quo of Nerima, possibly the entire world would be altered for all time.  
  
******** The Ucchan Ten Minutes Before Classes End at Furinikan High  
  
Ukyo Kounji was many things: a great chief, an excellent martial artist, and a wonderful employer. But what she wasn't at the moment was completely sane. Now one might argue that anyone willing to live in Nerima, ground zero for chaos, was not completely sane but in the case of Ukyo she is even worse than before. You see ever since the aborted wedding Ranma hasn't been talking to her and she has also stopped taking her medication. Ever since her mother committed suicide Ukyo has been on a mild anti-psychotic. On her medicine she is nice and good with mild bursts of irrational behavior. On the other hand when she is off her medication she is prone to delusions and violence.  
  
That is why she is getting dressed for her date with Ranma. She is wearing a long black dress. The neckline is low enough to show some cleavage but not so low as to be obscene. The bottom of the dress ends right before her knees, also the dress is tight enough to show of her generous curves. As she examines herself in the mirror Ukyo thinks, "I look great. With this dress, Ranchan will surely want to go a date with me. But something is missing," she then looks over herself. "Hmm, let's see hair, check. Makeup, check. Dress," she then ran her hands down her body, smoothing out her dress, "definitely check. So what could be missing," she then looks over her outfit for the third time. After a few seconds a look of realization passed over her face and she snapped her fingers, "I've got it," she exclaimed. She then picked up the harness she wears for her combat spatula and put it on. After checking to make sure that it is secure she then picked up her weapon of choice and placed it into its harness, after looking back at the mirror she said with a satisfied smile, "It's perfect."  
  
After making sure that she looked perfect, Ukyo headed downstairs. As she was leaving the restaurant she called out to her sole employee, "Konatsu mind the place while I'm on my date with Ranchan." Her gleeful voice put Konatsu in a quandary, should he go tell Lord Ranma what she is planning or should he let Mistress Ukyo do what she want. "What's wrong with her? Why is she acting so different," and she was acting different. The Ukyo that Konatsu knows and loves wouldn't act like this, getting ready for a date that doesn't exist. She also wouldn't wear a slinky dress and her battle spatula. Deciding that it might be better for all concerned, Konatsu closed up the shop and headed out after Ukyo.  
  
******** The Nekohanten Ten Minutes Before Classes End at Furinikan High  
  
Today was the day, today was the day when all her hard work and effort would come to fruition. Today was the day when Ranma would finally marry her, or at least that was what Shampoo believed. "How can he resist me," she asked her reflection in the mirror. "I mean my hair is perfect, and all my charms are in their proper positions. My make up is fine and so is my dress," and so it was. Her plumb colored dress clung to body like a second skin. The dress went down to her mid-thigh and had a slit running up her thigh on both sides of the dress. A dragon was embroidered on the dress wrapped around her body and accented her generous bust line.  
  
She had bided her time, waiting for her airen to be ready to marry her. After crashing his wedding to the kitchen destroyer Shampoo realized that she had made a mistake. Ranma wasn't going to marry her he was just being nice. He was just letting her down gently since all that Akane went through at Jusendo made her upset. Once the kitchen destroyer realized that he didn't want her she would gladly give Ranma to his rightful wife, Shampoo. At least that was what Shampoo thought. Seeing that she was ready to meet her airen, Shampoo ran out of the Nekohanten and towards the High School.  
  
Back at the Nekohanten Mousse was furious, "Damn that Saotome," he silently fumed. "Why must he always plague my darling Shampoo," with that Mousse ran up to his room and retrieved some of his more lethal weapons. "Today is the day that I will make you pay Saotome. One way or another," he said while staring at a dagger. After storing the myriad of weapons in his volumous robes Mousse then ran downstairs and headed after Shampoo.  
  
As Shampoo and Mousse were planning the downfall of Ranma Saotome there was someone at the Nekohanten that was worried about Ranma's well being. Cologne, Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku, was worried for the male known as Ranma Saotome. At Jusendo she saw the power of Ranma Saotome, yes she realized that Ranma's physical power was augmented by the power of the Gekkaja. Thereby allowing him to create the intense cold needed to defeat Saffron. Cologne wasn't interested in that, no what amazed Cologne about Ranma's battle with Saffron was Ranma's creation of an effective variation of the Hiryu Shoten Ha. In all her three hundred years, Cologne had never seen any one with such limited knowledge of Amazon secrets come up with such an amazing variation of an Amazon technique. She realized that she had to get Ranma into the tribe, by any means necessary. She had written her fellow members of the Council of Elders on the possibility of dropping Shampoo's marriage claim in favor of making Ranma an honorary Amazon and if he needed a more serious push there where several other possibilities beneficial to Ranma included in that letter. That was two and a half months ago, "What is taking that council so long? How long could it take to make such a simple decision? Can't they see that I'm right and that we need that boy in the tribe."  
  
As if fate had heard her mental grumbling a bird with metal tubes tied to it's legs flew into the Nekohanten and landed before Cologne. "Well it's about time, it sure did take those old biddies on the council long enough," she grumbled. She bent over and opened the tubes on the bird's legs. As she began to read the councils decision she felt a massive spike of chaos magic from the direction of Furinikan High. "No, not this soon," she said, her face pale and panicked. She tucked the letters in her robes, grabbed her cane and headed towards the source of chaos energy as fast as small body can handle.  
  
******** The Tendo Dojo Ten Minutes Before Classes End at Furinikan High  
  
Some would call Genma Saotome a fat, lazy, stupid, greedy, worthless excuse of a human being. They would only be partially correct, yes he is fat, lazy, and stupid but he was only as greedy as anyone else on Earth. Everything that he has done in his life, all the horrors he exposed his son to, all of it can be summed up with one word, Love. Genma loved his family, he loved his family so much that he was willing to do anything to ensure his families well-being, even if it meant that when he was done with his goals and his family was well off that they hated him. It was Genma's secret lament, his son, his only son, one of his two reasons for living hated and didn't respect him. Everything that he did to Ranma, the Neko Ken, the fiancees, the curse, everything was for him. If the things that he did for Ranma benefited himself it was a happy coincidence.  
  
That was why he's been pushing Ranma so hard to get with Akane. If Ranma could get married then everything Genma did would have been proven good. "But that blasted boy won't cooperate," Genma grumbled. "Why can't he see that it is in his best interest to marry Akane." He was interrupted from further grumbling by the plaintive sound of Soun's voice.  
  
"What are we going to do Saotome? How are we going to get them to go with this," he asked, his voice full of sorrow. He needed Akane to get married, if he couldn't see one of his little girls happy then he would have failed his beloved wife. And it's not as if he can't tell that Akane loves Ranma. If she didn't love him Soun would move the engagement to on of his other daughters.  
  
"Why it's simple, Tendo," said Genma, his face full of certainty. "When Akane and the boy see the brilliance of our plan they will gladly go with it," as he finished Genma stood and struck a pose of righteousness.  
  
Soun then matched Genma's pose, "of course! You're right Saotome, why I bet they will even praise us because of our ingenuity!"  
  
Genma slapped Soun on the back and exclaimed, "That's the spirit! Now come my friend and let us go and join our children and our schools." With that the two well-meaning fools gathered up the various objects needed to get their children married and rushed out of the house.  
  
Happosai, Grandmaster and founder of the school of Anything Goes Martial Arts, had overheard Genma's and Soun's plans for Ranma and Akane and summed them up with one word, "Idiots." And in the mind of the aged martial artist that's all the two will ever be. They took his excellent school and split it into two separate schools. A true master of Happosai's school would know both the land and air styles and if the right person gained mastery over the true school they would be virtually invincible. It was Happosai's hope that one of his two disciples could harness the power of the school but at every turn they disappointed him. When they had children Happosai hoped that one of them would be able to become his heir. And then Genma and Soun did something that he would have never had thought they were capable of, they imprisoned him. It wasn't a standard seal that they placed on the rock covering his tomb, he should know because that wasn't the first time the old lecher had been sealed up. He had to give it to those two nitwits, wherever they had come up with that ward it was a damn good one. He remained in that cave for ten years and when he emerged from his forced imprisonment he decided to look up his defective disciples. When he arrived at the Tendo Dojo Happosai's disappointment was only increased. Out of Soun's children only the youngest, Akane, had any interest in the Art and she wouldn't be able to make a worthy pupil since she would never be able to control her raging emotions. Genma's child would have been perfect but because of Genma's stupidity Ranma had a weakness that Happosai believed he could never surpass. That was before he witnessed Ranma's exploits at Jusendo, now he wasn't so sure.  
  
Before he could continue with his thoughts they were interrupted by a surge of something he hadn't felt in two hundred years, Chaos energy. "Damn it, not again! I swear this city has it in for me," as he was ranting Happosai headed towards the surge. Because even if he hated this happening every time he stayed in this city for any length of time he loved watching what happened to the hapless boob that triggered the event. And if his guess was correct then that hapless boob was Ranma, if it was then he would hate to be in his way when the boy snapped.  
  
******** Ranma's Classroom Two Minutes Before the End of School  
  
Something was going to happen, Ranma could feel it. Every one of his senses was telling him that he should be on a plane heading towards anywhere other than where he was. He hadn't felt this bad before Saffron and look how bad that it turned out. He felt like a caged animal, something was going to happen and he couldn't get away. And he knew with absolute certainty that no matter what happened he was going to be far worse off than he was now.  
  
And deep underneath Furinikan High the well of Chaos energy was reaching it's zenith. Things were about to change in ways no one could expect.  
  
******** Furinikan High School The End of School  
  
Ring, Ring. And with that school ended and began the torment of Ranma Saotome. As Ranma left the building he saw the approaching figures of a slightly manic Ukyo in a slinky black dress, Shampoo with a smile that can mean nothing but trouble, Mousse wielding a broadsword, and Genma and Soun carrying a priest.  
  
"Ah damn. This can't be good," said Ranma as he saw the group out to get him.  
  
As the group got nearer Ranma heard their cries as if they were the heralds of the Apocalypse.  
  
"Rannnchann I'm ready for our date," yelled Ukyo, her face full of manic glee.  
  
"Airenn, Shampoo ready for wedding!"  
  
"Saotomee you cad. I'll kill you for crimes against women," cried Mousse while waving around his sword.  
  
"Ranmaaa it's time to marry Akane and give us an heir," yelled Genma, the official spokesman of the Idiot Squad.  
  
"Well crap. Let's see Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, and the old men, the only ones missing are Ryouga and Kuno. Knowing my luck they're going to show up, right about..,"  
  
"Vile Saotome! Cease your pursuit of the fierce tigress Akane and the bouncy Pigtail Girl," yelled Upperclassman Kuno as he struck a pose of righteousness.  
  
"Ranma Saotome, for your flirting with Akane's sister prepare to die." Ryouga had heard Ranma's flirting with Nabiki and decided that it was time to kill him before he could enthrall any more women.  
  
"Now," finished Ranma and he began the process of dodging. He dodged the bokken strike aimed at his neck and redirected Ryouga's umbrella into the ground. Avoiding the pair of strikes, Ranma then jumped up and forward. At the apex of his jump Ranma flipped and turned to face his attackers. When he landed he was between Ukyo and Shampoo who promptly latched onto him, large smiles where plastered on their faces.  
  
As the two girls laid eyes upon one another their smiles instantly changed to angry frowns.  
  
"You purple haired floozy let go of my Ranchan. We have a date."  
  
"DATE," screamed Ranma.  
  
"What you mean date, Stupid Pizza Girl? Shampoo and Airen have wedding," replied a haughty Shampoo.  
  
Ukyo then released Ranma, "Stupid Pizza Girl, Stupid Pizza Girl. I'll show you who is a Stupid Pizza Girl you ramen-eating bitch," and with that Ukyo upholstered her combat spatula. Lowering herself into a combat stance she said, "Bring it on."  
  
Shampoo's angry frown turned into a feral grin, "If that what Stupid Pizza Girl want." Shampoo then made her bombories appear and took up her own combat stance.  
  
As Ranma watched two of his unwanted fiancees begin to do battle he felt an immediate danger coming from his right. Jumping backwards Ranma saw two chains speed through the space he previously occupied, as Ranma looked at the chain he could see that each individual link was razor sharp. Thereby making the whole chain a weapon. "Damnit! Mousse really means business this time," Ranma was nervous, Mousse had never used bladed chains before that means that Mousse is really out to kill him this time.  
  
Seeing that his chains missed Mousse retraced them and pulled out his sword. "Saotome you fiend, today is the day you die!" With that Mousse rushed Ranma. As Mousse rushed Ranma he was joined by Ryouga and Kuno. And for the first time the three of them worked together to kill their mutual enemy.  
  
As Ranma dodged the various chains, bokken, and umbrella he slowly made his way back towards the entrance to the school. When he got there he landed next to Akane and an out of breath Nabiki.  
  
********  
  
Akane left her classroom after establishing a time to go the movies with her friends. As she left her classroom Akane's fury at Ranma only grew. "That jerk how dare he leave without me. He's probably trying to flirt with Nabiki." Thinking that she headed towards her sister's class, pushing away any boys that got in her way. When she reached Nabiki's class she saw that Nabiki was finishing up whatever business she had and that Ranma was nowhere to be found. "Nabiki, where is that jerk," her anger at her clueless fiancee was very evident.  
  
Nabiki was pissed, here was her sister who had a good guy handed to her on a silver platter and what does she do, treat him like crap. Keeping her features in her well-schooled mask she replied, "What jerk would that be Akane? There are so many." Although she is keeping her emotions in check some of the disgust she felt towards her sister seeped through.  
  
Akane in her rage missed her disgusted tone and just listened to her words. "You know perfectly well what jerk I mean Nabiki. WHERE. IS. RANMA!"  
  
Nabiki's disgust only grew at Akane's little outburst, "Gee I don't know Akane. Maybe you could try the courtyard where he is fighting for his life." Nabiki might not be a martial artist but she does have a sense for when trouble happens, it's what kept her and her family in the black for all these years, and when she heard the various cries for Ranma's life she knew they finally meant it.  
  
As Akane ran downstairs to deliver what in her mind was divine justice, Nabiki ran after her. When the two got to the school's entrance Akane was breathing regularly and Nabiki was panting as if she ran a marathon, "Damn I'm out if shape. I better start exercising more," thought Nabiki as she tried to get her breath back.  
  
When Nabiki looked out upon the carnage that was the front courtyard she was amazed. "Well it looks like the whole gang is here and they mean business. Good thing I got all the betting done before Akane showed up." She was shocked when Ranma landed right next to them.  
  
********  
  
"Hey girls! What's up," asked Ranma, his eyes still on the fights at hand. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Genma and Soun start heading his way. "Aw man, I don't need this crap now," he groaned with disgust. Ranma was knocked out of any further wining by Akane's shrill cry.  
  
"Ranma stop ignoring me you jerk," she yelled.  
  
Said jerk turned and unintelligently said, "Wha?"  
  
"You know what I mean! First you leave class without me, then I see you here with your bimbos, then I see you are picking in Ryouga. You. Are. Such. A. JERK," she screeched. She then pulled out her mallet and wound up to hit Ranma. "RANMA NO BAKA," she then belted Ranma across the face and sent him flying into a corner of the school wall. As Ranma flew towards the wall Akane followed all the while swinging her mallet around.  
  
Ranma's errant flight did not go unnoticed by the others in the courtyard. The fiancees ran after him and their cries of, "Ranchan I'll save you from these crazy girls," and "Airen come and make Shampoo woman," ran though the courtyard. Ranma's rivals screams of, "Ranma for your crimes against women, PREPARE TO DIE," made Nabiki wonder if this is the day Ranma would be beaten. And the Idiot Squad's, "Ranma it's time to unite the schools," made everyone wonder what the hell the duo where smoking.  
  
********  
  
In a tree close enough to the action but far enough away so as not to be apart of the stupidity, sat Cologne and Happosai. And the two where thoroughly pissed at their various underlings.  
  
"Blast those two don't they know they are endangering the entire Amazon nation with their actions." Cologne had tried she really had, but for some reason she couldn't fathom she couldn't teach Shampoo even a modicum of restraint. "How many times have I told that girl she should use caution when courting males. You don't just throw yourself at them like a prostitute, no you go slowly and creep up on them so that before they know it they can't live without you," she inwardly ranted. "And Mousse, that boy is nothing but trouble, I'll make sure that boy pays for his stupidity if Ranma doesn't. Speaking of Ranma, why isn't he fighting back," this last part she said out loud.  
  
"Just when I thought those two couldn't get any more stupid they go and prove me wrong," thought Happosai. Those two idiots are going to end up destroying their dream at this rate," he thought with disgust. It wasn't as if he cared about the joining of the schools in his opinion there was only one of the branches of the Anything Goes style active. After seeing Akane hit Ranma once again, Happosai decided that she was too unstable for the art and that he is going to forbid her from using his art. "That girl is crazy, if she ever gets mad at a normal person she'll end up killing them. And I won't have any potential murderers in my school." Happosai was interrupted in his thoughts by Cologne's observation of Ranma fighting.  
  
"It's about time you noticed that Cologne. Old age finally catching up with you," he asked with a grin.  
  
"Shut up Happy. There are more important things like why isn't he fighting back," she shot back in concern.  
  
"I don't know why he's doing that. The only thing I can think of is that it has to do with what happened at Jusendo." That was when he felt the chaos energy beneath the school explode, the waves of chaos energy flowed over the two, making them shudder at the feel of it.  
  
"So it finally happened. I pray for Ranma," Cologne sadly said.  
  
"No don't pray for Ranma. He's a survivor he'll be fine. Pray for those he is about to hurt. Pray for all those that have hurt him because when he snaps there will be no stopping him," countered Happosai solemnly.  
  
********  
  
Once again Ranma was in flight and this time it was his angry fiancee's fault. When she hit him he was so stunned that he was unable to correct his flight. Consequently he flew headfirst into the wall, she hit him so hard that when he impacted with it his head cracked the wall. As he slid to the ground he heard the varied voices of the people after him. He got up slowly, with his head in pain he turned to see everyone out to get him and he felt some fear. The first to get to him were Ukyo and Shampoo who immediately latched onto him and that fear increased. He saw his rivals and the fathers coming for him and the fear grew ever more. And finally the fear of getting married to a psycho and the fear of death got too much and Ranma looked for a way out. Any way he didn't care what but he had to get away. That was when the chaos energy beneath Furinikan High exploded. When the energy reached Ranma he realized how he could escape his pursuers and like anyone in this kind of situation he took it.  
  
The only sound that Ranma's pursuers heard was, "Meow," and then all went red.  
  
********  
  
When Ranma woke up he realized that he was no longer at Furinkan High, realizing this he bolted up from his laying down position and looked around to take in his surroundings. As he did this he realized several things; one he was in his room at his mother's house, two the only thing that he was wearing was his underwear, and the third was that he wasn't alone. With one fluid motion he pulled up his blanket and whipped his head over to the other occupants of his room. Sitting in a chair beside his bed was his mother, Nodoka Saotome, and standing in the doorway were Happosai and Cologne.  
  
When Nodoka Saotome saw that her son was awake she did the only thing that a mother whose son just regained consciousness could do. She lunged at Ranma and with tears in her eyes she enveloped him in a crushing hug, "My darling boy. I so happy you're all right." After crying for a minute or two she reluctantly released Ranma from her choke hold so that he could talk to his guests.  
  
After his mother let him go Ranma looked at her and in an embarrassed tone he asked her, "Mom what happened to my clothes."  
  
Nodoka paled, but her complexion quickly went back to normal, "They where dirty so I removed them so I can wash them. Would you like to put some fresh clothes on," she finished with a smile.  
  
"Yeah I would."  
  
Nodoka then shooed the other occupants of the room. Before she closed the door she smiled at her son and said, "We'll be downstairs when you're dressed."  
  
********  
  
Although Ranma was smiling on the outside, on the inside Ranma was pulling his hair. He had seen the way his mother reacted when he mentioned his clothes. "I know I'm a bad liar but I can't be that bad, can I? What could have been on those clothes." He thought in a panic. He quickly put on the spare set of clothes he kept at his mothers for a rainy day. As he put on the clothes he was scared, he remembered that he slipped into the Neko Ken but after that he couldn't remember a thing. He had seen the damage he could cause in that state and that had been to rocks and walls, he could only imagine what he could do to flesh and bone. When he was he fully clothed he rushed downstairs fear gripping his heart.  
  
********  
  
When Nodoka and the others reached the dining room they heard a knock at the door. "Excuse me a moment."  
  
"Of course child," Cologne smiled.  
  
Happosai pulled out his pipe and asked, "mind if I smoke?"  
  
"No I don't as long as you do it outside," with that she headed towards the front door. After checking her hair in the mirror by the door she opened it to reveal Dr. Tofu. "Oh Doctor Tofu, what brings you here?"  
  
"I came to see how Ranma is doing," his hope that Ranma had woken up evident.  
  
"He woke up a few minutes ago. He's just getting dressed, we were about to talk to him," she replied tiredly. She was worried about how Ranma was going to take the news of what he had done.  
  
"I'm glad I made it then. May I come in?"  
  
"Of course, you are always welcome here," she then stepped aside so that the doctor may enter. Once he did she shut the door as he put on the slippers provided in the entryway. When they got to the dining room they saw that Ranma was just entering the room himself. Trying to postpone the inevitable discussion Nodoka asked, "How about I make some tea." At hearing the various yeses and thank yous she headed into the kitchen but was stopped by Ranma.  
  
"Hey Mom, do you want any help."  
  
She smiled at her son's thoughtfulness, "No dear, but thank you."  
  
********  
  
When Ranma reached the dining room he saw that his Mother and Doctor Tofu had just entered the dining room themselves and his worry grew. At seeing Tofu, Ranma was both relived and terrified. Relived from the fact that there was an unbiased person in the room. Terrified because he remembered the final moment before he lost consciousness, the mid- numbing terror, the hopelessness of not being able to get away, the blessed release when he slipped into the Neko Ken, and then nothing. Until that is he woke up in his bed.  
  
He then heard his mother ask if everyone wanted and voiced his assent. Wanting to be helpful he then asked if she wanted any help. When she turned him down he was disappointed, now he had to sit there in the same room as the two ghouls.  
  
********  
  
As the group waited for the tea to be made no one said a word, their only companions where their own thoughts. After a few minutes Nodoka re- entered the carrying a tray loaded with various tea items, cookies, cups, and tea. "Here you go everyone tea's ready."  
  
Ranma got up and walked over to his mother, "Let me help Mom," he said while taking the tray from her.  
  
"Why thank you Ranma, I appreciate that," she said with a smile.  
  
Nodoka and Ranma then sat at the low table, on the opposite side as Cologne, Happosai, and Doctor Tofu. After sitting there for a few minutes and waiting for all the tea to be served Ranma could wait no longer. He turned to where Doctor Tofu was seated and in a shaky voice that showed his despair he asked the doctor, "Doc is everyone ok. I didn't kill anyone, did I?"  
  
Seeing the despair that Ranma felt over the thought of killing someone and to help soothe the boy's fragile psyche Tofu smiled and shook his head. "No you didn't but some of them are going to be in the hospital for awhile," he finished grimly. Tofu had seen some of the injuries and he inwardly shuddered. After hearing about the incident he once again vowed to show Genma Saotome a piece of his mind, after Genma's wife was done with him that is.  
  
At hearing that he had hurt others Ranma lowered his head in shame and inwardly despaired, "I hurt somebody. I hurt them enough to put them in the hospital. I need to know. I need to know how much damage I did, how many lives I destroyed." He then looked into Tofu's eyes and with tears barely restrained he asked, "How bad Doc. How bad did I hurt them? I gotta know, please tell me," as he went on his voice gradually became a whisper.  
  
Tofu sighed and lowered his head, he had been dreading this, it could kill him. Tofu was constantly amazed at the boy's gentle soul, how he had survived that trip with his father and remained sane he would never know. He took off his glasses and polished them with a rag he pulled out of his pocket. Seeing that they where clean he put them back on and looked into Ranma's eyes. The barely shed tears in the boy's eyes tore at the doctor's heart but he wouldn't hold back. "Mousse is the worse off. According to Nabiki and others he threw his chains at you and your Neko persona batted them away. When you did that he received a set of four parallel gashes along his chest. The gashes weren't that deep but they will leave scars, the real damage was done when you batted away the chains. As you may or may not remember Mousse was using chains with blades on the links," he paused to see Ranma's nod of remembrance once he saw it he continued. "Well when you batted them away they ripped along his arms at high speed, the bladed links tore large chunks of muscle out of his arms and shredded several nerves in his arms. Although the surgeons where able to sew him back together, he lost a lot of muscle and they where unable to repair all the nerve damage. We don't know how much use he will have of his arms and we won't know until he wakes up from the anesthesia. But we're pretty sure that he will never regain full use of his arms," Tofu then stopped to regain his breath and take stock of the people's reactions. Cologne and Happosai bowed their heads in remorse over the loss of Mousse's ability to practice his art. Nodoka was completely shocked and Ranma looked as if he could die.  
  
Taking seeing their reactions and making a mental note to keep an eye on Ranma, Tofu continued with his grim pronouncement. "After you took Mousse out of commission the Kuno boy was next. Apparently he rushed you with his bokken raised to strike. You slashed upwards and made the bokken and his right hand explode. Lucky for him Ryouga knocked him into the side of the school and he was knocked out. Nabiki was able to reach him and stop the blood flow so he is still alive. After Ryouga knocked away Tatewaki he became your next target. Good thing that he underwent the Breaking Point training because if he hadn't then you would have eviscerated him. As it is he will just have four large scars across his stomach, he still hasn't regained consciousness but this is because blood loss and he should be up and awake any time now. Mr. Saotome has a broken arm from when you threw Ryouga into him and Mr. Tendo has some broken ribs from when Ryouga and Mr. Saotome flew into him. Other than that those two will be fine," with that he stopped to recover his breath and get over what he just pronounced.  
  
"Doc what about the girls I didn't hurt them did I," asked Ranma. He had to know, he caused so much damage to so many people there had to be some light at the end of this bleak tunnel. Mousse, Kuno, Ryouga, the Fathers, sure they had done a lot to him in the past but he never in a million years want to hurt any of them. He certainly never wanted to end two of them's ability to practice their respective arts. It was every thing he could do to keep from sobbing but he had to keep strong. He had to be strong for his mother.  
  
"They're fine Ranma. When you slipped into the Neko Ken you threw Ukyo and Shampoo off of you and into the school's wall. Their martial arts training prepared them for that kind of hit, so the only sustained minor cuts and bruises. Akane is fine physically, emotionally though she's a wreck. According to Nabiki after you took out your rivals she tried to snap you out of it. But instead of going to her you hissed and made a motion like you were going to slash her. Luckily she backed away and you ran off."  
  
Everyone in the room was shocked and appalled at the amount of damage done to the people many had considered invincible. But out of everyone in the room the one who was shocked the most was Ranma. As he stared at his hands in horror he said, "I'm a monster. A monster."  
  
Nodoka, with tears in her eyes gathered her son up in her arms, "No you are not. You are not a monster Ranma, you are my son and I love you more than any thing in the world." And that was when she realized that she really meant it. Ever since Ranma started going to her house she has said that the contract for him to become a man among men didn't matter, but in her heart it still did on some level. Now though, with the possibility that Ranma could do something to atone for his perceived sins, she couldn't see how she held honor over her son.  
  
Cologne took this opportunity to speak up, "Your mother is correct Ranma, you are not a monster. If there ever was a monster it is your father for teaching you the Neko Ken. You can't be blamed for your actions under it's influence. The real people to blame are the one's who gave you so much grief. Because when you slipped into the Neko Ken all those injustices came out and you defended yourself." Deciding to get Ranma's mind off of it's current train of thought, Cologne, Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku, walked to Ranma's side and bowed to him. "Ranma, I thank you for sparing my granddaughter. I am forever in your debt. I ask for your forgiveness for everything my granddaughter and I have done to you."  
  
Ranma was shocked, she has never admitted that she has done anything wrong. He then placed his hand on the Elder's shoulder, "Elder Cologne, please get up. As far as I'm concerned everything you have taught me has more than made up for what you did. As for your granddaughter, I can't forgive Shampoo until she really asks for it." Ranma smiled at the elder's shock.  
  
"Thank you again Ranma." She stood up and smiled. "I have some news for you that should brighten your mood. Shortly before the incident at the school I received a letter from the Amazon Council of Elders and in it, they gave me permission to do the following." She then stood to her full height. "Ranma Saotome, I Cologne Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku hereby dissolve your marriage to the warrior Shampoo. I also grant you full amazon status with all the rights and responsibilities that entails."  
  
Ranma was in shock, "I'm free," he thought. "I don't have to marry Shampoo, thank you God." It wasn't like he didn't like Shampoo but he had never wanted to marry her, which meant that one of his worries went away. But for now he wanted to know what Cologne meant about him being an amazon. "What do you mean full amazon status, because I don't want to be considered a second class person just because I'm a man."  
  
Cologne waved aside his concern, "Don't worry about that Ranma. When you destroyed Saffron you proved to my fellow council members and myself that you are worthy of full amazon status, as a male. That means you have just as much of a voice concerning amazon affairs as any woman."  
  
"Thank you Elder, I can only hope that I can make you proud,." This is when he decided to tell them about a decision he made. "Everyone I have decided to go on a training trip."  
  
Nodoka was in shock he little boy was leaving her again, "Why? If you don't want to live at the Tendo's you can come here and live with me," she offered, hopeful that he would take her up on her offer.  
  
"It's not that. Believe me when I tell you that I would love to live with you. But that is not the reason I gotta leave. Mom I hurt some people badly and ended Mousse and Kuno's ability to do their art, all because of the N-Neko Ken. I gotta find a way to get control of it, if I don't then I could hurt someone else with it maybe even kill someone and I can't have that. A martial artist protects the weak not endangers them because of a fear of c-cats. You see I can't even say the damn word without stuttering. What kind of protector can I be if one of my enemies pull out one of those and I go running like a chicken with his head cut off."  
  
"Oh my son I understand and as much as I wish I didn't agree with you, I do. Please promise me that you will visit more than every ten years," she says in sorrow, tears leaking from her eyes.  
  
Ranma reaches over and hugs his mother, "Sure I will Mom. How about this, I'll come back at least once a year and if I can't I'll call or write. Is that ok."  
  
She nods her head, "That would be wonderful, son. Remember that no- matter where you go you always have a home here," she said with a weak smile.  
  
Before Ranma could respond Happosai spoke up. "Ranma m'boy we need to talk."  
  
Ranma was confused, "What could he want to talk to me about and why is he being so civil?" Since Happosai was being civil he would return the gesture, "Sure. Can we talk here or do you want to go in another room."  
  
"In here will be fine. I don't mind if others here this," his seriousness clear to all in the room.  
  
"Well go ahead," Ranma made a motion to get him to continue.  
  
"As you know I've been looking for an heir to pass along the true Anything Goes."  
  
"Yeah that's why you're always attacking me right?"  
  
"Yes that's part of the reason I have been constantly attacking the other was to make sure you were challenged by someone with more experience. Now continuing with what I was saying. I've been looking for an heir, I had hoped either Genma or Soun would have been the one. That hope was destroyed when they took my school and separated it in two. When I heard that the two had children I thought that maybe one of them would be adequate. All of Soun's children where girls and I won't personally teach girls my style." He was interrupted by Cologne's snort of disdain.  
  
"Why's that Happy, afraid they would be able defend themselves from your perversions," disdain for his habits was dripping from her voice.  
  
"No that's not it. In fact I love it when women know martial arts, it makes the liberation of my silky darlings so much more fun." His then gets stars in his eyes and drifts into a fantasy involving a handsome Happosai traveling across the world saving women's underwear from evil.  
  
Everyone in the room including Doctor Tofu looks at Happosai in disbelief and as one they say, "Riiight."  
  
"So if it's not that, why won't you teach women your art," countered Cologne. She may respect Happosai for his abilities but she hated how he always preyed upon women.  
  
"It's not a matter of won't it's that I can't teach women." At seeing the group's confusion Happosai simplified for their benefit, "When you teach someone in a martial art you naturally are in a close relationship with them. You have to touch them in various places to correct their stance or the placement of their arms or legs. I just simply don't have the willpower to not fondle or grope a woman under those circumstances. I can teach men and they in turn can teach women," he paused to let the embarrassment at that pronouncement subside.  
  
"Now as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," he then glares at Cologne. "All of Soun's children where girls so they where out. When I went and saw Genma's child I was amazed. In you Ranma I saw the salvation of the school and my last hope. But when I told Genma that I intended to teach you in the art that was when Genma and Soun sealed me in a cave. Ten years later I was finally able to free myself from my prison. When I got free I went looking for you and to check up on Genma and Soun. I watched you fight some and my hopes soared but when I examined your aura I saw the signs of something I hadn't seen in years, the Neko Ken. Shortly thereafter my suspicions were, to my regret and anger, confirmed. For a time I had considered killing him, not because you could no longer be my heir but because of what he did to you. I had seen a copy of the manual Genma must have used and I read the instructions for teaching of the technique and I was appalled. No one, especially a child, should have to go through that kind of horror," he stopped talking to control the raging emotions caused by what Genma did.  
  
When he got his emotions under control he continued with his talk, "As time went by I watched as you overcame obstacles, learned techniques with amazing speed, and managed to defeat opponents far more powerful or experienced than you. Every time I watched you do the impossible my anger and disgust of Genma only grew. At Jusendo I watched as you defeated a being more powerful than any I had ever seen before and my hopes returned. So therefor I have a mission for you, I charge you with going out and gaining mastery over the Neko Ken. When you do that then I will name you my heir and I will teach you the fullness of my art."  
  
With that announcement everyone in the room was shocked for three reasons; #1 Happosai was acting serious for more than five seconds, #2 he was admitting to having faults, and #3 he said that Ranma could be his heir.  
  
To Cologne it's like she slipped into some kind of Twilight Zone, "Never in all my years would I have thought that Happy was capable of such real seriousness. And Ranma becoming his heir, it has always been a possibility but it was always one I never considered seriously. Ranma with full mastery over the Neko Ken, the true Anything Goes, and Amazonian Wu- shu would truly be unstoppable. With Happy's announcement I think I'll hold off on telling him the rest of what the council wrote whether I tell him now or after he gets control of the Neko Ken doesn't matter." She then talks to Ranma, "So when do you plan on leaving?"  
  
"I going to leave early tomorrow. I want some time with Mother before I leave and at some point I need to go to the Tendo's get my stuff."  
  
"You stay here with your mother and I'll bring it over for you," offered Happosai.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
And with that Cologne stands up, "Well I think we should give Ranma and his mother some time to themselves don't you."  
  
"Yes you're quite right," answers Dr. Tofu as he to stands up. "Ranma do you mind if I come over to see you off."  
  
Ranma stood up, "Sure come over before 10 o'clock, that's when I be leaving," he then put his hand out to shake Tofu's hand.  
  
Tofu shook Ranma's hand, "See you tomorrow then," and with that he left.  
  
Cologne and Happosai took this opportunity to say their good-byes and they headed off. Cologne went to the hospital to check on Mousse. Happosai decided to go on a quest of his own. His quest was not one of mastery, no his quest was the most sacred any could attempt, the freeing of those poor defenseless silky darlings.  
  
********  
  
The next morning at the Saotome home was a quiet one. Today Ranma was able to do something that was rare for him, sleep in. After he woke up he went about his usual business of taking a shower and eating breakfast. All the while his mother tried to keep his mind off of what had happened and make his stay as enjoyable as she could.  
  
Shortly after breakfast was complete the first of Ranma's well wishers arrived. Doctor Tofu was the first to arrive followed shortly thereafter by Kasumi, Nabiki, and Happosai who was carrying Ranma's pack. Luckily for everyone present Doctor Tofu had been working on his Kasumi problem. So instead of becoming a crazed lunatic in her presence he just becomes very giddy.  
  
"Kasumi, Nabiki what are you doing here," asked Ranma.  
  
"We're here to see you off Saotome. Will that be a problem," asked Nabiki with a wry grin.  
  
"I have no problem with it. You two will always be welcome here right Mom," Ranma looked back at Nodoka.  
  
She walked up and placed her hand on Ranma's shoulder, "That's right. You're welcome here at any time."  
  
"Thank you Auntie Saotome," said Kasumi. She then took the bundle she had carried to the Saotome home and held it out to Ranma. "Here you go Ranma, I made some food for your trip. I hope you like it."  
  
Ranma took the wrapped package from her, "Thanks Kasumi. You know I always enjoy your cooking," he said with a smile.  
  
Cologne then chose this time to show up to see Ranma off. "Sorry I'm late. I had to convince Shampoo that I wasn't coming to meet with you."  
  
"Hey no problem, Elder. At least you where able to show up," said Ranma with a smile. And he was glad she was able to come, she is the reason that he learned such powerful moves in the last year.  
  
Nabiki was floored, "Woah, woah," she made a T motion with her hands. "TIME OUT! What the hell is going on? I thought she was trying to marry Shampoo," her confusion evident.  
  
"Yes that is correct I was trying to get Ranma to marry Shampoo but that is in the past. This is now, my fellows on the Amazon council and I decided that it was better to have Ranma as an ally than to have him as an enemy. Don't you agree Ms. Tendo," Cologne wryly asked.  
  
"Uh yeah sure."  
  
Seeing that Nabiki will no longer interrupt her, Cologne then looks back at Ranma. "Ranma I have something for you. Since you are now an amazon you are allowed to know all of our techniques," she then reached into her robes and pulled out a scroll. "Here take this scroll. It contains some of our basic techniques and I'm confident that you gain mastery of most if not all of them before we next meet," with that she handed Ranma the scroll.  
  
Ranma took the scroll, "Thank you Elder. I'll do my best to learn these techniques." He then put the scroll into his pack. After doing that he turned to his mother and hugged her. "I'll miss you Mom and don't worry I remember to keep in touch," he said with a smile.  
  
"You do that and remember that I love you and that no matter what happens you are always welcome to come home," she said while crying.  
  
"I will Mom, I will," said Ranma, some tears also leaking from eyes. He then pulled away from her and turned back to his pack. Before he could pick up his pack Doctor Tofu came up to him and began to talk to him.  
  
When Doctor Tofu reached him he held out a leather bound book, "Ranma I want you to take this book and study it. This book is full of meditation techniques the same ones that helped me with my problem," when the doctor said problem his eyes darted over to look at Kasumi. "They might be able to help you in your quest."  
  
Ranma was very grateful and he took the book. "Thanks Doc. I hope you're right about it helping me." He then placed the book in his pack. But instead of picking up his pack he stood up and took out a roll of money. He stepped over to Nabiki and handed her the money, "Here's some of the money I owe you. I know it isn't allot but it's all I got."  
  
Nabiki looked down at the money in her hand and she shook her head. "I can't take this Ranma. After what happened at school I decided to clear all your debts with me," she then handed the money back to Ranma after she did that she took out an envelope and handed it to him. "I also want you to take this money. Consider it an apology for what I did to you."  
  
Ranma was confused, "What exactly did you do to me?"  
  
"For foisting you onto Akane." She then walked up to him, grabbed Ranma's head, and gave him a deep passionate kiss. When she pulled away Ranma saw the tears in her eyes and then she whispered, "We could have had something special." She then ran out of the room before she could break down.  
  
Ranma stood rooted to that spot for several seconds and then he lifted his hand and touched his lips. He quickly thought back to the kiss and compared it to the others he had received in his life. He found that the kiss she just gave him had to be the most passionate kiss he had ever had. Also it had something that all the other lacked, genuine heartfelt love and for a moment Ranma felt a twinge of regret. But that was quickly dismissed, he knew that at this point the two of them could never be in a real relationship with each other. Maybe if she had accepted him when they first met they might have had a long and happy relationship but now, no.  
  
Ranma then turned back to his pack and placed the envelope and his roll of cash into the pack. After making sure that the flap is secure Ranma hefted the heavy pack onto his back. He looked at the group for the final time and addressed Kasumi, "Kasumi could you do me a favor? Could you please tell Nabiki that her apology is excepted?"  
  
With tears in her eyes she smiled at him, "I'd be more than happy to. Take care."  
  
"I will and thank you." With that Ranma Saotome left Nerima but not for good. Because despite everything that this city had done to harm him it also gave him something more valuable than gold. Friends and his mother, and it is for them that he would one-day return.  
  
********  
  
And that was how Ranma stay in Nerima ended and how the greatest adventure of his life began.  
  
********  
  
After leaving Nerima Ranma decided to revisit some of the shrines that he had visited during his time with Genma. It was his hope that hidden within one of the shrines would be the way for him to learn how to control the Neko Ken. As he headed to the first shrine on his list studied from the scroll and book that he was given. Every time he would stop for lunch he would read over the scroll and book to decide what technique he would practice that day. When he stopped for dinner he would practice what he had read at lunch. Several of the techniques contained within the scroll where similar to those that he had learned when he was learning how to use Anything Goes. He figured that Happosai must have seen them in use and incorporated them into his own style. The meditation methods described in the book that Doctor Tofu where very helpful. While the ones that he had read about so far had not been any help with dealing with the Neko Ken they did help in other ways. They helped him clear his mind and find some solutions to problems that had previously eluded him.  
  
That was how Ranma spent his days. He didn't cover great distances quickly since he wanted a more leisurely trip than his previous one. Consequently it took him many weeks to reach the outskirts of Okayama.  
  
When he reached Okayama decided that instead of heading into the city he would skirt along the edge. He had plenty of provisions and instead of bothering with the hustle and bustle of the city Ranma wanted to walk through the woods. As he walked he was continuously amazed at the beauty around him. As he was walking Ranma felt an attack coming from his right. Jumping to his right and throwing off his pack Ranma saw that in the space he had previously occupied there was now a figure crouched there. As the figure stood Ranma slipped into a defensive stance and waited for his unknown assailant to make the first move.  
  
"So I finally found you Fem-boy," the figure's disgust at Ranma was evident in his voice.  
  
At the fem-boy crack Ranma knew who had attacked him. Only one person had ever called him fem-boy and that was Pantyhose Tarou. "Ok Tarou, why the hell did you attack me."  
  
Tarou pulled back his hood and began to laugh, "Why did I attack you? Why did I attack YOU! You keep me from my goal more times than I can count and you have the gall to ask me, why did I attack you. I realized that I would never get the old freak to change my name if you where still alive." With that he threw off his cloak and lowered himself into a fighting stance.  
  
Ranma was worried, every time he had to fight Tarou there where others there to help. "So you're saying that you think the only way to get your name changed is by killing me."  
  
"That's right Fem-boy now shut up and DIE!" He then rushed Ranma, his arm pulled back, ready to strike.  
  
Ranma moved to the side and redirected Tarou towards the tree behind him. But for his efforts Ranma received a punch to the stomach as Tarou passed by. As Ranma was recovering from the punch so was Tarou recovering from being thrown into the tree. Tarou then rushed Ranma again, being more careful to avoid being thrown again. As Tarou punched at Ranma he was able to hit a pressure point on Tarou's shoulder, locking it in mid punch.  
  
At feeling his arm lock up Tarou leapt backwards to survey the damage. When he saw that he was unable to move his arm Tarou became even angrier than before. "Damn it Fem-boy fight me like the man you claim you are!"  
  
Ranma couldn't miss the opportunity to poke fun at him. "If I'm not fighting seriously then why are you the one who can't move his arm?"  
  
"ARRGH, THAT'S IT SAOTOME. NOW YOU DIE!" With that Tarou pulled out a canteen and dumped it on his head. After he transformed into his cursed form he tried out his right arm and found that he could now use it. He reared back his head and roared.  
  
"ROOOAAAGGHH!"  
  
The last thing that Ranma said before Tarou attacked was, "Ah crap."  
  
Tarou then rushed at Ranma and before Ranma could dodge out of the way Tarou grabbed him by the head. As Tarou lifted Ranma by the head he tried to escape by punching him in the hand. But with every punch that Ranma dealt Tarou's rage only grew. Tarou pulled back the arm not holding onto Ranma and began to punch him in the stomach as hard as he could. The only sound that came from the monster was a growl-like laugh. After punching Ranma for awhile, Tarou, while still holding Ranma's head began to swing him into trees. As he was hitting the trees Ranma could feel and hear various bones break.  
  
Snap, his right arm is broken.  
  
Crack, there went his legs.  
  
Crunch, his ribs break. And it was with this break that Ranma felt a piece of one of his ribs punch through his lung.  
  
After that Tarou swung Ranma around a few more times and then dropped him to the ground. Before Ranma slipped into blessed unconsciousness he watched as Tarou left him to die. "At last, I can finally be in peace," and with that he passed out.  
  
********  
  
Ranma shook himself out of his remembrance. "Yeah, I remember how I ended up in the clearing. What I don't remember is how I got here," he asked as he looked at Tenchi.  
  
Tenchi scratched the back of his neck the back of his neck. "Eh, well you see. The thing is. . ."  
  
******** End of Chapter 1  
  
Authors Notes: Well that's the end of this chapter, if you have made it this far then give your self a gold star. Now we know how and why Ranma left Nerima. Now to address some thing that people might have had problems with. The first thing is why Ranma is not fighting back like he should. Remember he killed someone and when he made his decision to no longer hurt anyone he was in an emotionally damaged state. I would like to see you kill someone, if you aren't seriously screwed up afterwards then please look into having yourself committed. As to why he is able to use pressure points. Ranma has to deal with a woman that knows a great many pressure points on a regular basis. I think that it would be foolish on his part not to know some of the body's point even if it is to counter something Cologne might do. As for him liking his curse, the way I figure it even though his personality is male and he retains that after the transformation he still has female levels of estrogen running through his body. While I'm not saying that it makes him like to wear dresses or want to get with guys I would imagine that it would effect how he deals with emotions. Now about Akane's behavior, yes I know that I'm making her very mean but I do have a legitimate reason for her meanness that will be explained in a later chapter. As for Ukyo being on anti-psychotics I think that it is an interesting idea and her reason for halting her medication will be explained later. About Ranma's slipping into the Neko Ken so easily this was a one time deal brought about by extreme fear and outside interference in the form of the Chaos explosion. In my opinion Ranma has always had a chaotic life but it wasn't as bad as it was in Nerima but when he arrived his chaos reacted with the chaos field of Nerima and thus you have Ranma ½. Ranma's chaos will be explained later in the story but suffice it to say he wasn't born with it and it has nothing to do with his knowledge of Anything Goes. The reason Ranma's speech is so much better is that by the time he leaves Nerima he had been going to his mothers for six months. Now I know this messes up what really happened but this is how I wanted it. As for Ranma's becoming an Amazon remember Cologne wants him in the tribe by any means necessary. If it takes this to get him in then so be it. Yes I did have Nabiki likes Ranma but nothing will come with it. If anyone has further problems then calmly write about it and I'll try to answer it. 


	3. Chapter 2 Meeting the Family

The Light Hawk War  
  
By: Chaos Lord  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to their respective owners. The concepts dealing with the Time Gates the Ultimate Good and Evil and the Forbidden belong to PacMan.  
  
********  
  
Chapter 2  
  
********  
  
Ranma shook himself out of his remembrance. "Yeah, I remember how I ended up in the clearing. What I don't remember is how I got here," he asked as he looked at Tenchi.  
  
Tenchi scratched the back of his neck the back of his neck. "Eh, well you see. The thing is. . ."  
  
Seeing that Tenchi could take forever with his hemming and hawing, Washu butted in, "What Tenchi is trying to say is that one of our friends found you in the woods near here and brought you back."  
  
"Well where is he, I'd like to meet him."  
  
"It's her and you'll meet her in a little bit, but first there are some things that we need to talk about," she said in seriousness.  
  
"What kind of things? This doesn't have anything to do with what Tenchi said about me being a danger to others, does it," asked Ranma in concern. He didn't want to be a greater danger than he already was.  
  
"Yes, it does, but I'm not the one to tell you, Tenchi is," Washu replied, her regret at not being the one to tell him rang through her voice.  
  
Ranma looked over at Tenchi and what he saw did not bring comfort to him. Tenchi's head was down and he was looking at his feet.  
  
Tenchi was in turmoil, how do you tell someone that because of you their entire life has been irrevocably changed. "Ok, I'm not quite sure how to say this," he then brought his head up and looked at Ranma. When he did Tenchi saw the look on Ranma's face and quickly clarified. "First off you aren't going to die," at seeing Ranma's worry lessen, he continued with what he was saying, "in fact it's a good chance that you aren't going to die for a long, long, long time."  
  
Ranma was confused, "What does that mean?"  
  
Tenchi scratched his head as he tried to explain. "What do you know about genetics?"  
  
Ranma thought about that a bit and he couldn't think of a thing, "I remember hearing the word somewhere but I don't remember where."  
  
In a way Tenchi was relived, since Ranma didn't know about genetics he could explain it to him. This will let him explain it in a round about way. "In every living being there are cells. At the center of these cells there is something called the Nucleus." He stopped to see if he had lost Ranma, "You still with me?"  
  
Ranma nodded his head, "Yeah I'm with you." And he wasn't lying, he remembered the bit about cells from biology class.  
  
"Ok, now in the Nucleus there is something called DNA. DNA is the building blocks of life and are made up of something called Genes. These Genes are what decides things like your eye color or your sex and genetics is the study and use of those Genes." Tenchi was proud of himself, he had been able to recall everything Washu had taught him and explain it to someone with limited scientific knowledge.  
  
Washu was also proud, she had been able to teach Tenchi so well that he could teach others.  
  
"Ok I got that, but how does that deal with what happened to me," asked Ranma.  
  
"It has everything to do with it, you see when you where brought to us you were seriously injured. You had major internal damage and many of your bones were broken. Also because of massive internal bleeding you needed a blood transfusion. The only one of us that could donate blood was me, now normally this wouldn't be a problem but this time something went wrong."  
  
"What went wrong?" All of Tenchi's beating around the bush was killing Ranma. "I want to know what's wrong with me now," he thought.  
  
"Weeellllll, to explain that, I need to know something." Tenchi was a little nervous. How do you ask someone if they believe in aliens and not sound crazy. Deciding that the straight way is the only way to do it, Tenchi asked, "Do you believe in aliens?"  
  
Ranma thought about that for a moment, "Well, given how my life has been so far, I would have to say that I don't not believe in aliens."  
  
Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, because you see, Washu and I are aliens."  
  
Ranma leaned towards Tenchi and squinted his eyes, "Really? Well where's your antenna and pointy ears, hmm?"  
  
Tenchi looked at Ranma in disbelief, "We're not that kind of alien. While we look human, we aren't."  
  
Ranma stood-up straight and shrugged his shoulders, "If you say so. How does this effect me?"  
  
Tenchi was stumped, "How can you accept that so easily?"  
  
"I've seen some weird shit in my life. You being an alien isn't as weird as some of the other stuff I've seen," Ranma said nonchalantly.  
  
Tenchi shook his head in disbelief, "Oh well, now about your situation. When Washu here," he pointed over to Washu. "Worked on you, the process she used combined with the alien portion of my DNA and your high heeling caused some unforeseen changes in you."  
  
"What kind of changes," Ranma looked into himself in a panic. As he did so, Ranma saw that his aura was definitely different, unlike any he had ever seen.  
  
Tenchi was worried, he watched as Ranma went into a panic, then his whole expression went blank. Tenchi's worry was quickly relieved when Ranma's became one of confusion again.  
  
"My aura is off, what the hell is wrong with me," asked a confused Ranma.  
  
"You're now partially Juraian, that's where my family is from. You are about as Juraian as I am, genetically that is."  
  
"So what does that mean for me? I mean you said that I might hurt others with some kind of power, what does that mean," asked Ranma, his need to know shown through his voice.  
  
"As a Juraian you are able to use Juraian power. With this you can create an energy sword and shields, fire energy beams and other things. We need to train you how to use this power so that you won't use it by accident."  
  
Ranma's shoulders dropped, "Great, another thing for me to worry about," he mumbled.  
  
At hearing that, Washu and Tenchi looked at each other worriedly. Tenchi decided to change the subject, "Since you're going to stay with us for awhile, would you like to meet the other people that live here."  
  
"Sure why not. I just have one question, how do we get out of here," he asked as he looked about the room.  
  
Washu took this opportunity to talk, "Well that's easy, we use the door." When she said this she pointed behind Ranma.  
  
Ranma spun around and saw in a place that there was nothing, there was now a wooden door with a round porthole near the top. He looked back at Washu and asked, "How did you do that, because I know it wasn't there before."  
  
"I could tell you, but the answer would drive you mad and send your soul to the bowels of Hell. Mwa. Ha. Ha." Washu laughed maniacally.  
  
Ranma and Tenchi stared at Washu dumbfoundly, then they looked at each other. Instead of waiting for Washu to come down from her psycho trip, Tenchi decided to answer Ranma's question. "Washu can create doorways where ever she wants to while she is in her lab."  
  
Ranma looked around himself, "She made all this, how? She's like twelve years old," he said in disbelief.  
  
"The first thing you need to remember while living here is, nothing is what it seems."  
  
Washu placed her hands onto Ranma and Tenchi's shoulders, "Well, we were going to introduce Ranma to the others, right Tenchi?"  
  
Tenchi looked at Washu, "Right." He then looked back at Ranma, "Well, what do you say. Think you're up to meeting some other people," he asked with a smile.  
  
"Sure, I guess," he replied leererly. As far as Ranma was concerned new people were more often than not potential enemies.  
  
Washu caught the undertone of unassuredness in Ranma's voice and said, "Hey don't be that way, I'm sure they will be happy to meet you." With that the trio headed towards the door. When they were completely inside the inky blackness the door closed and disappeared.  
  
******** The Masaki Living Room 20 Minutes Ago  
  
From her perch in the rafters of the Masaki living room, Ryoko watched as Tenchi followed Washu into her lab. She hoped that the man Mihoshi brought in a five days ago was ok. Washu had told the family that the man was going to live, but that was three days ago. When she had come out of her lab this morning she had bags under her eyes and she looked like she hadn't seen any sleep in several days. After several hours of sleep she came down from her room refreshed and hungry. As she ate the meal that Sasami had prepared, she never said a single word and despite the fact that every one wanted to know how the man was doing, they let her eat her meal in peace. When Washu was finished eating her meal, she pleasantly thanked Sasami for her efforts and stood up. Turning towards Tenchi, who was sitting on the couch, Washu asked him to come with her to discuss something about the man. At that she headed back towards her lab, not a single word of comfort to anyone to explain her actions. Even the link that Ryoko maintained with her mother could provide any insight into what was going on.  
  
"Damn it Washu! You could at least say something," she grumbled.  
  
On the floor stood Ayeka, the towel in her hand nearly rung apart. She looked up at the rafter with Ryoko on it, "So, do you think that poor man is all right?"  
  
Ryoko looked down at the princess, her face full of worry. "I don't know. I'm getting nothin from Washu."  
  
Ayeka's face matched that of Ryoko, "What could be wrong? She said that he would live, but that was days ago. What could be so wrong that Miss Washu would need three further days?"  
  
Ryoko teleported to in front of Ayeka. When Ayeka's gaze landed onto Ryoko's new location, Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows? He might have lost too much blood and it messed up his brain or something like that."  
  
"I hope that is not the case."  
  
"Yeah." Ryoko looked towards the second story, "So, how's Mihoshi handling it."  
  
Ayeka also looked at the second story, "I do not know, the only time I have seen her is when she comes down to eat. And when she does her eyes are always red and puffy like she has been crying a lot. Other than that I do not know," she said worriedly.  
  
"Yeah, finding some guy's body in the woods can't be good for anybody, mentally that is."  
  
"Yes, but I feel that it is more than just that."  
  
"I don't know."  
  
********  
  
While Ryoko and Ayeka were discussing what could be wrong with Mihoshi, the object of their worry was sitting in her room. Mihoshi was sitting on her bed Indian style, her clothes wrinkled and dirty. Her eyes were red but there were no tears. No, there had been tears but they would no longer come to her. She remembered that day well, the day when her training was for naught.  
  
Mihoshi Kuramitsu started her day like she always did, a bath and breakfast. After eating breakfast with the people she had come to think of as her second family, Mihoshi sat in the living room and watched some TV. She watched TV until lunch and afterwards she decided to head to her ship, Yukinojo, to write that week's status report. She had pulled out her control cube and, after making a cup of coffee and a waffle iron appear out of nowhere, she finally got the right combination to teleport. But as she re-materialized she found that she was not inside Yukinojo, instead she found herself in the forest outside the shrine. At her feet lay a man, beaten and bloody, his legs bent at unnatural angles and blood coming out of his mouth. And the first aid training that had been so ingrained into her at the Academy come flowing through.  
  
As she tried to save the man, she used the techniques she learned to help him. Unfortunately, for the man that is, Mihoshi doesn't know first aid for humans. So she used the techniques necessary to save a Juraian, but alas they only injured him further. For you see the very first thing that she did was flip him on his back, therefore any injury to his ribs was only made worse. As she checked his pulse, his heart stopped. In a panic she pulled out her cube to retrieve something to restart his heart, as a result she made a baseball materialize right over the man's chest. This had two effects, one was that the ball hitting the man's chest restarted his heart and two the impact caused further damage to him. Deciding that it would be better to get him to Washu than risk her hurting him more, Mihoshi picked up the man as gently as she could. For the first time in her life, she used her cube and was able to do exactly what she wanted to, she teleported into the Masaki living room.  
  
When she appeared in the Masaki living room she was a sight to see, she was carrying a bleeding man and crying. "Please, somebody help me!"  
  
Before she could finish Washu was already in action. Out of her lab rushed a gurney with red blinking lights attached to it. "Mihoshi, put him on the gurney," she said from her position by the gurney.  
  
But Mihoshi didn't move, she couldn't move. She tried, she really did, but for some reason her body wouldn't follow. It was like she was in a daze, Ryoko ended up having to put the man on the gurney. Mihoshi stood there and watched as the man was wheeled away, unable to move a single inch. When the man disappeared into Washu's lab Mihoshi was finally able to move from her spot and that was just to sit on the couch. And that was where she remained for two days, the only time she left her place was when nature forced her to.  
  
When Washu emerged from her lab two days later and told everyone that the man would live, Mihoshi's mind restarted. Before she could begin crying she quickly ran to her room, leaving every one else in shock. In her room Mihoshi sat on her bed and cried her eyes out. As she rocked back and forth she continuously mumbled, "I couldn't save him, I made him worse." She could hear the way his chest sounded when she flipped him over and then when the baseball landed on his chest she could here the meaty noise that made to. When she joined the Galaxy Police, Mihoshi was ecstatic to learn the various first aid methods and since then she had used them several times, each time resulting in a saved life. But with this time the damage to the man's chest wasn't evident, but when she moved him, she could tell she had done something wrong. With her acute hearing, she could hear as the bones in his chest grated and grinded against each other. When the man's heart stopped so did her's, she pulled out her cube and tried to find anything that she could use to start it. She had wracked her mind to find the combination to materialize the miniature defibrillator, but instead of that, she got a baseball. She was happy that the ball started his heart, but she hated that the ball did more damage to him. As she sat in her room the next three days after that she went over the entire event many times, from every single angle. After three days she came to a simple conclusion, it wasn't her fault, she had to turn him over and if the ball hadn't fallen on the man then he wouldn't be alive today. Although she knew this intellectually, it didn't stop the pain.  
  
********  
  
At the top of the hill beside the Masaki home stood a Shinto shrine. The master of this shrine was Katsuhito Masaki, otherwise known as Yosho Crown Prince of Jurai. For seven hundred years he had lived on this green orb and yet he has never tired of it. Ever since his parents came from Jurai life in this little portion of the world had been relatively stress free, for him that is. That was until five days ago, on that afternoon when Mihoshi had brought the stranger to them to receive medical attention. He had been at the shrine at the time, sweeping the sidewalk. All was peaceful and he was taking in the beauty that never ceased to amaze him, the beauty of nature. As he swept the walk, Sasami came running up with the news that Mihoshi had brought back a wounded man. He quickly ran down the stairs to see if he could provide any assistance, either physical or emotional. When he reached the house, Katsuhito saw several things: #1 Ryoko standing there looking at Washu's lab, blood on her hands, #2 Ayeka standing beside Ryoko, she was also looking at Washu's lab, #3 Mihoshi sitting on the couch, blood on her clothes and a blank expression on her face. Deciding that Mihoshi was in the most need of help he went over and sat beside her. He tried to talk to her for several minutes and when she wouldn't respond he spent several hours just sitting beside her, so if she needed to talk he would be there.  
  
The next day he spent at the shrine, praying and hoping that the man would live. As he waited for Washu's verdict, Katsuhito busied himself with the day to day shrine duties. He felt relief when Sasami brought him the news that the man would live, and yet he was still worried. Not for the man's life, but for whatever else may be wrong with him. Admittedly, Katsuhito had not been able to talk to the redheaded scientist, and all of his knowledge came from what he could gleam from Sasami. And though she is but a child, she is very perceptive to others emotions and reactions and she gave him the impression that Washu felt that something was wrong, but that she was unwilling to say anything.  
  
As he sat in the shrine he drank tea, for he could do nothing else. Washu's lab was locked tighter than the Imperial Treasury on Jurai, and Katsuhito's entreaties proved for naught when he attempted to use reason to get her to open the door. And so he sat there and sipped tea and hopped for Washu's patient. As he knelt before the low table and drank his tea, Katsuhito felt a presence. A vast and awesome power that he had felt many times before. Before the one with the awesome power could say a thing, Katsuhito addressed it, "Hello Tsunami." On the other side of the table various motes of light appeared. This light coalesced into a humanoid figure and began to get brighter. When the light reached it's crescendo it burst and in it's place stood Tsunami, Goddess of Jurai.  
  
"Hello, Lord Yosho," greeted Tsunami, as she sat down at the table.  
  
Katsuhito held up a single finger and shook it, "Tsk, tsk. What have I told you about my name Tsunami," he asked with a frown.  
  
Tsunami pouted, "You said to always call you Yosho," she finished with a giggle.  
  
Yosho smiled, it's so good to see her so carefree. "Ah Tsunami, so what brings you here?"  
  
With that, all traces of Tsunami's jocularity disappeared, she sat up straight and looked Katsuhito square in the eyes. "Yosho, there is something that you must know about the man that Mihoshi found."  
  
Katsuhito's concern about the man grew at that. "He will not be a problem will he?"  
  
Tsunami shook her hands in front of her, "No, no, no. He won't be a danger to you."  
  
Katsuhito breathed a sigh of relief, "That is good know."  
  
"The man's name is Ranma Saotome and he is now of Jurai."  
  
Katsuhito was astonished, "How!"  
  
Tsunami shook her head and raised her hand, "It is not my place to say. Suffice it to say, he now has access to the same power that all those of royal blood posses. It will be up to you and Tenchi to train him in the use of his newfound power. Further more, it seems that he possesses most of the potential that Tenchi does."  
  
Katsuhito's astonishment multiplied ten-fold, "You mean!"  
  
Tsunami nodded her head, "Yes, if I so wish it, he will be able to use the power of the Light Hawk Wings." At that she turned her head towards the area of the Masaki residence. After a few seconds, she stood up, "I must go."  
  
Katsuhito stood as well, "Thank you for this information, Tsunami."  
  
Said goddess smiled, "You are more than welcome, Yosho, it was my pleasure. Unless I miss my guess, Ranma Saotome will make a welcome addition to the people of Jurai." And with that her body took on a brilliant glow and she then disappeared.  
  
********  
  
In the living room Ryoko and Ayeka waited for any word from Washu. As they waited they sat on the couch, side by side and both up right. While they sat there the two of them were in a quandary, they wanted to comfort the other but how do you comfort a person that is sometimes an enemy and other times a good friend. And so, the two sat there, unable to make up their minds.  
  
After several minutes of sitting there, Ryoko's eyes widen and a smile is plastered on her face. She then bolts up and turns to Ayeka. Grabbing the princess's hands in her own, Ryoko starts talking excitedly, "He's awake, he's awake!"  
  
Ayeka's face was a mask of confusion, "Who?" Her eyes then widen as she realizes who Ryoko is referring to and she to jumps up, "Really? How do you know," she asked in excitement.  
  
"Washu told me through our link. She asked me to get the others so that that guy can meet us." When she finished she continued to stand there, Ayeka's hands still in her own. After a few seconds of staring at Ayeka, a blush formed on Ryoko's face. At feeling the blush, Ryoko quickly dropped Ayeka's hands and turned away. "I. Uh I'll go get the others," and she teleported away.  
  
As Ryoko faded from view Ayeka could only say, "Yes." When Ryoko was completely gone Ayeka placed her hands on her face to cover the blush that now adorned her face. Inwardly she asked, "Why do I feel like this?"  
  
********  
  
In the kitchen hid Sasami. She had been in the kitchen trying to keep herself busy. Ever since Mihoshi had brought that man to the house, Sasami had been out of sorts. When Mihoshi brought him to the house the whole house was thrown into chaos. Washu was in her lab trying to save that poor man, Mihoshi was sitting on the couch barely moving at all and not speaking to anyone. Ryoko hadn't come to her so that they could play their weekly game and the game was going to be Risk, her favorite. If something bad hadn't happened Sasami might have thought that Ryoko's missing of their game was because she didn't want to get trounced like she usually did. And the weirdest thing was that Ayeka and Ryoko were being nice to each other, they hadn't been fighting when Tenchi entered the room, heck they haven't even glared at each other!  
  
She was interrupted in her thoughts by Ryoko's scream. "He's awake, he's awake!"  
  
Sasami's eyes widened at that. "He's awake, there's only one he she could be talking about," she thought. Sasami crept up to the entranceway to the kitchen so that she could listen in on Ayeka's and Ryoko's conversation. While she was thinking she missed what Ayeka said but she did hear Ryoko's reply.  
  
"Washu told me through our link. She asked me to get the others so that that guy can meet us."  
  
Sasami was ecstatic, "He wants to meet us. I better make something, he is sure to be hungry," she then rushed back into the kitchen to prepare something. Therefor she wasn't able to see Ayeka and Ryoko's awkward moment. As she was washing the vegetables Ayeka came into the room, her blush gone.  
  
"Sasami, I have wonderful news," said an excited Ayeka.  
  
Sasami turned to Ayeka, a wide grin on her face. "I know. I heard, isn't it great."  
  
All of the color in Ayeka's drained and she took on a look of panic. "Oh, Tsunami! Did she see anything? What did else did she hear," she thought.  
  
Sasami saw this and grew concerned, "Ayeka are you ok? You don't look so good."  
  
At seeing that Sasami didn't have that mischievous smile that she usually does when she knows something, Ayeka's panic evaporated. But now she had to get her off of worrying about her, so she stared to laugh. "Of course I'm fine. I'll leave you to what you were doing," and with that she turned and walked briskly out of the kitchen.  
  
After Ayeka left the kitchen Sasami smiled and went back to work on the food that she was preparing.  
  
********  
  
In her room sat Mihoshi. By this time she was in her room to wait for Washu's verdict. And while she no longer cried about what she did to the man, Mihoshi knew that if she saw any of the other members of the household she would again breakdown. She was broken out of her musing by a knock at her door.  
  
After the knock, Ryoko's voice sounded through the door. "Hey Mihoshi."  
  
Said woman merely looked up at the door, but she said nothing.  
  
Once again Ryoko spoke through the door. "Mihoshi, I don't know if you can hear me or if you are even listening but I have something to tell you. That man you found, Washu told me that he is awake and he wants to."  
  
Before she could finish her statement, Mihoshi ran out of her room and headed towards the onsen.  
  
********  
  
As Ryoko teleported away from Ayeka she decided that the first person that she would tell would be Mihoshi. When she appeared in front of Mihoshi's room Ryoko hoped that her news would break Mihoshi out of her funk. After settling herself down from her encounter with Ayeka, Ryoko knocked on her door. When Mihoshi didn't answer Ryoko decided to call to her. "Hey Mihoshi." She waited for a few seconds and when she didn't answer Ryoko sighed. "Mihoshi, I don't know if you can hear me or if you are even listening but I have something to tell you. That man you found, Washu told me that he is awake and he wants to." Before Ryoko could finish her statement, Mihoshi flung the door into her, causing Ryoko to get embedded into the wall. After a few moments the door was slowly pushed from the wall and Ryoko slid down the wall.  
  
"Ugh . . . You're welcome . . . Mihoshi . . . gurgle," groaned Ryoko.  
  
After lying on the ground for a few moments, Ryoko pushed herself up. Once she was straightened out she groaned, "Damn that hurts." She turned in the direction that Mihoshi ran off to, "Well at least I got her out of her room . . .dammit . . .she could have said thanks." She shook her head and then teleported off.  
  
********  
  
In the Masaki shrine sat Katsuhito Masaki, the priest and creator of the shrine. As he sat there he pondered on what Tsunami told him. "This Ranma Saotome can use both the power of Jurai and the Light Hawk Wings, astonishing," he shook his head. "I wonder how such a thing came about. How will I teach him to use his power, with Tenchi I trained him for years before he tried to use his and by the way Tsunami sounded he can use it now. Well I guess I'll just have to trust in Tsunami." As he finished his train of thought, Ryoko teleported to right in front of him.  
  
Katsuhito looked up at the cyan haired beauty, "Yes?"  
  
"Hey, old man, Washu said that guy that Mihoshi found is awake and that he wants to meet us." She floated there to wait for Katsuhito's response.  
  
At hearing Ryoko's news Katsuhito stood up. "Thank you Ryoko, I will make my way to the house."  
  
Ryoko made a dismissing gesture, "No problem," and with that she teleported away.  
  
When Ryoko left the shrine, Katsuhito stood up and headed for the house his son-in-law had designed. As he was walking down the shrine steps something was bothering him. "Ranma Saotome, where have I heard that name before?" After a few moments of walking it finally came to him, "Now I remember, he is that young man that came with that no-good excuse for a human being, Genma Saotome." Since he finally remembered Ranma, Katsuhito increased his pace. "Ranma was such a good student before, I should have no problem training him to use Juraian power."  
  
********  
  
After leaving Katsuhito, Ryoko re-materialized inside the Masaki living room. Seeing that Ayeka was still in the room, Ryoko began to talk to her. "Well that's everyone. The old man should be here in a few minutes and Mihoshi is . . ." She stopped talking when saw the blank look on Ayeka's face. She waved her hand in front of Ayeka and she got no response. Ryoko then bent over and making sure that her face was level with Ayeka's, Ryoko gently shook her by the shoulders.  
  
Ayeka came out of her trance when she felt someone shaking her by the shoulders. As her eyes focused on the one who was doing the shaking she saw the concerned face of Ryoko.  
  
"Hey princess, you ok," asked a concerned Ryoko.  
  
Ayeka brushed off Ryoko's hands and stood up, missing Ryoko's hurt look. "Yes, yes. I am perfectly fine, thank you very much. Now what were you saying?"  
  
Ryoko schooled her features and stood up. "I said that I talked to everyone and Katsuhito is on his way. Now if you don't mind I going to wait in the rafters," she finished, her voice has hard as stone and as cold as ice. With that she flew up and sat on her perch.  
  
At hearing the cold tone that Ryoko used, Ayeka inwardly despaired. She wanted to comfort Ryoko. To apologize for her actions, but something held her back. Something that she couldn't figure out, or perhaps, she didn't want to figure out.  
  
And so the two of them waited, both in pain and neither knowing how to express it in a meaningful way. As they waited they were joined by Mihoshi, her hair still damp. She sat down onto the couch beside Ayeka and waited in hope. Hope that the man she "saved" was ok and willing to forgive her. Soon after she entered the room Katsuhito reached the living room. As he came into the room he could feel the stress that was evident. When he looked at Mihoshi he was happy to see that she had left her room. He was even happier when he saw the hopeful expression on her face, he had heard about her walling herself in her room and was glad she was out. As he looked at Ayeka he saw her worry and dismissed it at worry about Ranma. And Ryoko, well he couldn't tell any thing about Ryoko because of her elevation.  
  
As Katsuhito stood there the door to Washu's lab and out came Tenchi. At seeing him, Ayeka Ryoko and Mihoshi grouped in front of him. They bombarded him with questions for a few seconds until he stopped them by holding up his hands.  
  
"Ok, first off everyone back away," he waited until the girls backed away. "Now so you know, he is awake and right behind me. Right now he seems a little leery of groups so everyone just sit down, get comfortable, and I'll bring him in."  
  
Out of the black portal everyone heard a voice, "Jeeze Tenchi, you don't have to say it like that." Accompanying that voice came a man in a red chinese-style shirt and black pants.  
  
"Eh . .he . . .he. Sorry Ranma." Tenchi then turned towards the seated women and Katsuhito. "Everybody I would like to introduce Ranma Saotome."  
  
Before Ranma could say a thing, a blonde-hared blur impacted with him crying, "I'm sorry," over and over again  
  
******** Washu's Lab A Few Minutes Earlier  
  
As Ranma was pushed thought the black portal he was a little scared. "Where am going to end up now, the Moon, Nerima, the center of the Earth? With my luck I'll end up appearing right over Akane's bed." Of all the places Ranma figured he would end up a large multi-story room with trees was the last place he figured he would be. As he stood there in awe at the size and openness of the room Tenchi and Washu came up behind him. After they were completely in the room, the door closed and disappeared. They watched as Ranma slowly turned his head and took in the room. In an awed whisper he asked, "Where are we, what is this place?"  
  
"We're in my lab," answered a proud Washu.  
  
Ranma turned to her, "I thought the other room we were in was your lab," he asked in confusion.  
  
"Oh we were. It's just that we were in one of the medical suites. What we are in now is the entry level of the lab, along with my primary work space."  
  
"Oh, ok. So why are we here? You need to pick something up."  
  
Washu shook her head, "No, no this level is the only place that we can leave the lab from."  
  
Ranma nodded his head in understanding, "Ok. So where's the way out."  
  
Tenchi took this moment to cut in, "Before you go into the house I'd like to go ahead of you to calm them down. If I don't, they be on you as soon as you get through that door," his face full of helpfulness. Tenchi knew first hand what the girls could be like if they wanted something.  
  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders, "That's fine with me. You're the one that lives with them."  
  
Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief, "Great! You wait here and I'll be back in a moment."  
  
He then headed towards a spot several feet away from the balcony. As he was walking a door appeared out of no-where. Ranma was still amazed at that, he turned to Washu and asked, "The place we're going, do all the doors do that?"  
  
Washu shook her head, "No, only the one's in my lab. Tenchi won't let me put them in the house, the big meanie," she finished with a pout.  
  
Ranma looked at her in disbelief, "Riiigghhtt." He looked back at Tenchi but he didn't see him. What he did see was an open door and another black portal. A little curious Ranma walked up to the portal and when he got close enough he was able to hear voices coming through. They were so many voices and they were talking so fast he couldn't understand them. What Ranma did know was that all the voices came from women. "He lives with a lot of women. Good lord he's one unlucky bastard," Ranma had lived with women before and it wasn't the best of experiences. In his opinion women are great, next door that is. When he lived at the Tendo's he learned things about permanent women that he never wanted to know. He heaved a sigh, "It looks like I'm going to have to live even more women than before," he shrugged his shoulders, "oh well. They can't be any worse than the last bunch." That's when he overhead what Tenchi said to the people on the other side of the portal.  
  
"Now so you know, he is awake and right behind me. Right now he seems a little leery of groups so everyone just sit down, get comfortable, and I'll bring him in."  
  
"Leery, LEERY! I am not leery I'm . . .cautious. There's a difference," Ranma mentally ranted. He then talked through the door, "Jeeze Tenchi, you don't have to say it like that." Ranma decided to walk through the portal and meet the people he was going to live with for awhile.  
  
As he entered the new room he saw several women and the old shrine keeper that he remembered from his time at the Masaki shrine. The hair colors and styles of the women varied greatly. From the wild spiked cyan hair girl to the one with the blonde hared beauty to the one that greatly disturbed him, the girl with purple hair, it reminded him of what he left behind. And he didn't want that. The old man, well he looked really familiar but Ranma couldn't put a finger on where he remembered him from.  
  
"Eh . .he . . .he. Sorry Ranma." Apologized Tenchi, he then turned towards the seated women and the unknown old man. "Everybody I would like to introduce Ranma Saotome."  
  
Before he could forgive Tenchi or greet the people in the room the blonde-hared girl ran into him and began to cry, "I'm sorry," over and over again. Ranma awkwardly put his arms around her and began to pat her on the back.  
  
"Hey It's ok, really it is," comforted Ranma.  
  
The girl pulled away a little and looked at Ranma with her big blue eyes, still filled with tears. "But, but I made you worse. I couldn't help you."  
  
Behind the two came Washu's voice, "Actually Mihoshi you saved him in several ways."  
  
The girl called Mihoshi pulled away completely at that and, for some reason that Ranma couldn't understand, he felt sad. When he held her shapely body in his arms, he felt something that he had never felt before. The emotion was so foreign to him that he couldn't even describe it, but he did know that he liked it. And when he looked into her crying eyes he felt something that he could only describe as the need to protect. Deciding to put these thoughts on the back burner for now, less he miss something important.  
  
"What do you mean Washu? How could I have helped him, I heard the way his ribs grinded against each other. So how, how could that have helped," she asked with a wail.  
  
Washu walked over and placed her hand on Mihoshi's shoulder, "Yes what you did, did move his ribs around but in doing so you moved them in a way that got them away from his heart. Because of that, when you restated his heart with that blow, none of his ribs punctured his heart. Which would have happened if you hadn't done what you did. So you see, you really did save his life," she finished with a comforting smile.  
  
Ranma placed his hand on Mihoshi's other shoulder and when the sniffling girl turned to face him, he smiled at her. "See you saved my life, and for that, thank you." Ranma's smile got even bigger when Mihoshi began to smile.  
  
******** At seeing Mihoshi tackle Ranma, Tenchi grew concerned. He didn't know what Ranma would do to some one running into him. He was also worried about Mihoshi, when he had entered the living room he saw how calm and hopeful she looked. But now he saw none of that. As she was crying into Ranma's shoulder, Tenchi wanted to go and comfort her but he stayed put to see what the panicked Ranma would do. When Ranma put his arms around her and tried to stop her from crying, Tenchi settled down to let Ranma continue what he was doing. When Mihoshi pulled away from him to question him, Tenchi recognized the smile that Ranma had on his face, it was the same one that he always had when he held either Ryoko or Ayeka.  
  
At thinking about the two loves of his life he looked over to them and he once again mentally apologized to the two, "I'm so sorry you two, but I can't make a choice. I won't make a choice," whenever one of the girls asked him to make a choice he grew afraid. He had made his choice along time ago and he knew that it was one that neither of the girls would like. They each wanted him for their self and he knew that they wouldn't want to be together like he wanted. He loved and needed them both and if one of them left for any reason, he would be crushed.  
  
He stopped himself from that line of thought and turned back to the conversation at hand.  
  
"Yes what you did, did move his ribs around but in doing so you moved them in a way that got them away from his heart. Because of that, when you restated his heart with that blow, none of his ribs punctured his heart. Which would have happened if you hadn't done what you did. So you see, you really did save his life," Washu finished with a smile.  
  
Tenchi watched as Ranma placed his hand on Mihoshi's other shoulder and say. "See you saved my life, and for that, thank you." His words made both Mihoshi and Tenchi smile. He was glad that she was receiving the comforting that she so deserved.  
  
Tenchi decided to break everyone off this line of thought and back on to the introductions, but before he could Sasami beat him to it.  
  
********  
  
Sasami walked up to Ranma and tapped him on the shoulder. When Ranma turned to see the source of the tapping, she said, "Hi there. My name is Sasami what's yours."  
  
Ranma smiled at the girl, "My name is Ranma Saotome. It's nice to meet you Sasami."  
  
"It's nice to meet you too. I thought you might be hungry, so I made some snacks. Would you like to try some," she asked with a smile.  
  
Ranma's smile grew at the mention of food, "Sure I would. Want some help bringing them in here?"  
  
Sasami smiled and nodded, "Thanks. I'd love to have some help." And with that they headed into the kitchen. When they got back everyone was sitting at the table, Katsuhito at the head of the table. Ayeka, Tenchi, and Ryoko sat on one side of the table, the two girls were sitting so close to Tenchi that their legs were touching his. Washu sat opposite of Katsuhito and was sitting patiently for Sasami and Ranma to enter the room. And Mihoshi was sitting opposite of Ryoko, her face and posture much happier. Sasami and Ranma sat up the dishes and snacks and then sat down.  
  
After eating a bit, Tenchi decided to continue with the introductions. "Ok everyone. As I said before, this," he then points at Ranma, "is Ranma Saotome. Ranma I'd like to introduce you to the others that you will be living with."  
  
At that Sasami spoke to Ranma, "You're staying here, why?"  
  
Washu answered for Ranma, "Well Sasami, that's complicated, let's get through the introductions first and then we'll try to explain it afterwards."  
  
"Ok," she then turned back to Tenchi.  
  
"As I was saying, this is Ranma Saotome." Everyone said "Hi" or "Hello" at the same time. "Now, the man at the head of the table is Katsuhito Masaki, head shrine keeper and my grandfather."  
  
"Hello Ranma, it's good to see you again," greeted Katsuhito with a nod.  
  
"Hi, it's good to see you to," Ranma said in reply.  
  
Tenchi then pointed to his right, "This is Ayeka, Crown Princess of planet Jurai."  
  
At that all the girls at the table but Washu were stunned.  
  
Ryoko's head whipped in Tenchi's direction and she whispered into his ear, "Tenchi, I thought you wanted that kind of thing a secret."  
  
Tenchi patted her leg and in a normal voice Tenchi replied, "It's ok, he already knows."  
  
Ayeka took this time to respond, "Why did you tell him? He is a normal human, are you not afraid that he will tell others."  
  
"Hey, you don't have to worry about me telling anyone. I swear that I will keep secret what ever is said here," Ranma answered.  
  
"He's right, we don't have to worry about him telling, but before I tell you guys why, let's finish the introductions," added Tenchi. When everyone calmed down sufficiently Tenchi continued, "As I said, this is Ayeka, Crown Princess of planet Jurai."  
  
Ayeka did a small bow and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Saotome."  
  
Ranma's face scrunched up in distaste, "It's nice to meet you to, but please, for the love of god never call me Mr. Saotome. It reminds me of my "father"," he said the word father with disgust.  
  
Ayeka blinked at that, "Ok would Ranma be acceptable?"  
  
Ranma nodded, "Sure that would be great."  
  
"Ok," Tenchi then pointed to the cyan-haired girl on his left, "this Ryoko Hakubi, adventurer extrordinare."  
  
Ryoko smiled at that, she was afraid that Tenchi would have referred to her as a space pirate. While she placed her hand over Tenchi's, she greeted Ranma, "Yo."  
  
Ranma did a little wave in her direction, "Hey."  
  
Tenchi blinked at the short greetings on both of their parts, "Well you've already met Washu, so we'll go onto the next person." He then pointed at Mihoshi, "This is Detective First Class, Mihoshi Kuramitsu."  
  
At this Ranma turned to the blonde women and extended his hand, "Hi, nice to meet you," he said with a smile.  
  
Mihoshi took his hand and shook it with a smile, "Nice to meet you to."  
  
Ranma reluctantly let go of her hand and looked at Tenchi.  
  
Tenchi watched the way Ranma greeted Mihoshi and mentally raised an eyebrow. "The last but defiantly not the least," he said with a smile towards Sasami, "is Sasami, Ayeka's sister and Second Crown Princess of Jurai."  
  
Ranma looked at the brightly smiling girl and said, "It's a pleasure, Your Highness."  
  
Sasami sat completely upright and in the most regal voice she could she said, "Of course it is. Everyone is awed at my presence . .," she couldn't get any farther because she busted out in giggles.  
  
Katsuhito smiled at Sasami's giggles and said to the group, "Now that we all have been properly introduced, maybe we should go sit in the living room and let Tenchi tell us why Ranma can know about us." Of course he knew why he knew about their other worldly heritage but he wasn't going to tell them that.  
  
"Yeah that would be great Grandpa," replied Tenchi. He then looked at Sasami, "Sasami, do you mind if we leave these dishes here for now and take care of them after we get done with our discussion?"  
  
Sasami shook her head and smiled, "No that's ok, I want to hear what you have to say."  
  
Tenchi clapped his hands and stood up, "Well great, lets go," and with that he headed to the couch.  
  
The rest of the people at the table got up and followed him. On one couch Ryoko and Ayeka sat next to Tenchi, with Sasami sitting next to Ayeka. On the other couch sat Ranma, Mihoshi, and Washu and at the chair sat Katsuhito.  
  
As soon as everyone was seated Ryoko began to question Tenchi, "Ok Tenchi you said you tell us why he," she pointed at Ranma, "can know about us. So fess up and tell us why." It wasn't like she didn't trust Tenchi, it's just that he has been harping that they should keep a low profile among regular humans.  
  
Instead of Tenchi answering though, Ranma's low voice was what answered her, "I can know about you guys because I'm not human anymore."  
  
The girl's reply was a clear, concise, and very loud, "WHAT!"  
  
Ayeka turned to Tenchi, "Lord Tenchi, how is that possible?"  
  
Ryoko nodded, "Yeah, how?"  
  
Washu answered for him, "As you all know, when Mihoshi brought Ranma to us he was bleeding and badly beaten." She waited for everyone to signal that they remembered, when they did, she continued, "When I examined him, I discovered that he would need a blood transfusion, and Tenchi was the only one here compatible with him. There was a problem though, Tenchi's Light Hawk power combined with Ranma's healing ability and my methods of treating patients and gave Ranma the same Juraian genetic structure that Tenchi has."  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka looked at Washu in confusion, and at the same time they asked, "Huh?"  
  
Katsuhito answered, "What she means is that Ranma is as much Juraian as Tenchi. And his Juraian ability is that of the royal family."  
  
All the girls were amazed but they didn't say a thing, it was Ranma who asked the next question, "Does this mean that I'm royalty or something?"  
  
Katsuhito shook his head, "I'm not sure. This has never happened before, so there is no precedent for this."  
  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders, "It doesn't really mean anything to me. I was just curious."  
  
Ayeka bristled at this, "Bu, but how can you say that! I thought everyone on Earth would love to be royalty!"  
  
Ranma waved this off, "I've meet Princes, Kings, and Emperors and none of them were pleasant people. So tell me why would I what to be royalty."  
  
Before Ayeka could argue further, Tenchi placed his hand on her leg and when she looked at him he shook his head. He then looked back at Ranma, "Well now that we have introduced each other, lets trade histories."  
  
"Yeah that sounds good to me. I'd really like to know how you ended up living with so many women," Ranma asked with a grin.  
  
"Uh right, well I guess the best place to start is at the beginning." Before he stared though, Tenchi turned to Ryoko, placed his hand on her shoulder, and whispered, "I'm sorry Ryoko, but I'm going to tell him everything."  
  
Ryoko grew frightened, she was sure that when Ranma heard about her past her would think she is a monster. She knew that no one else in the house thought that of her, even Ayeka, but how would some stranger think of her. But she knew that he had to know so she gave Tenchi the go ahead, she placed her hand over Tenchi's and said, "Ok Tenchi, tell him. I know what you and the others think about me and that's what maters to me," she finished with a weak smile.  
  
Tenchi returned her smile, turned back to Ranma, and started his tale, "It all started seven hundred years ago . ." And with those words he wove the story of his extended family. He started with Ryoko's attack on Jurai and her and Katsuhito's, then Yosho's, battle on Jurai, across space, and finally ending on Earth. Throughout all of this Ryoko remained silent and winced at everything that she did. As Tenchi continued he detailed his wakening of Ryoko and Ayeka's subsequent arrival. Then he went on about how Mihoshi came to live with him and how she found Washu on Kagato's ship. He talked about Kagato and how he nearly died but was saved by Tsunami and how he first accessed the Light Hawk Wings. He described the events with Zero and Dr. Clay. He then talked about the royal's visit. "And for the next year not much happened, we had the occasional mis-adventure but other than that nothing." As he was talking the girls in the room added in their own bits as what Tenchi said related to them.  
  
As Ranma sat and listened to Tenchi's telling of their past he was amazed. "These people have had as many adventures as I have, and they were definitely more important than any that we went on," he thought. As Ranma listened he sympathized with Ryoko, he knew what it was like to fear yourself for things that you have no control of. When Tenchi described the awesome power of the Light Hawk Wings, Ranma's mind did a backflip. "If I have the same power as Tenchi does that mean that I can use the wing too?" When Tenchi began to describe Mihoshi's part in their various adventures Ranma's interest peaked. For some reason that he could not fathom, he felt a need to know all that he could about the blonde-hared beauty.  
  
After Tenchi was done telling his tale he looked at Ranma with a smile and said, "It's your turn Ranma, I bet all of us would love to know why you ended up in the forest a mangled wreck."  
  
Everyone else in the room nodded their heads and simultaneously said, "Yeah!"  
  
Ranma sat there and thought for a moment, "How much should I tell them? My life is full of so much pain, should I trust these people with my entire life story? No, not yet, if they are ok while I'm here then I'll tell them more, but for now I'll only tell them the important stuff."  
  
Ranma then began to tell about his crazy life, "For the first few years of my life I lived at my mother's house. During that time I was happy and carefree but when I was five my pop, Genma Saotome, thought that my mother would make me soft so he took me on a training trip. As we traveled through Japan he taught me his art, the Anything Goes martial arts. His methods were brutal and I ended many days in pain and hungry."  
  
His tale was interrupted by the angry voices of his audience.  
  
"Why that horrible man! How dare he treat his son so," exclaimed Ayeka.  
  
Ryoko nodded in agreement, "You got it Princess! What kind of jerk is this guy!"  
  
Beside Ranma, Mihoshi was crying she then turned to him and began to hug him, "You poor man, to be away from your mother, WAHH."  
  
Katsuhito just sat there and brooded over what Ranma said. As far as he was concerned, this was just another thing to add to the list of crimes that Genma Saotome has piled up.  
  
Washu narrowed her eyes in anger, she was a mother and though she hadn't been the best mother to Ryoko she knew that there was certain thing that you don't do to young children. Beating children and making them go hungry all in the name of training is inexcusable.  
  
From her seat next to Ayeka, Sasami and by extension Tsunami, cried. She loved her mother very much and if she was ever separated from her against her will, Sasami wouldn't know what to do. Sasami couldn't imagine what it would be like for Ranma.  
  
Tenchi was also angry at Ranma's father but he knew that there was nothing that he could do about it at the moment. Besides he wanted to know what else happened to Ranma, so he stood up and waved his hands in front of him, "Guys settle down. If everyone gets uppity when Ranma tells us about something then we might be here all night. Why don't we just sit down and listen to what Ranma has to say," what he didn't say but everyone heard was "then we can kill him."  
  
With that everyone settled down. Ryoko and Ayeka sat down and got ready to listen to more of Ranma's story. Sasami's tears slowed to a bare trickle and Mihoshi let go of Ranma, as she did so her tears also abated. Ranma on the other hand wasn't the happiest person in the world.  
  
********  
  
As Ryoko and the others expressed their anger and sorrow over what, in Ranma's mind, was a rather insignificant time in his life, Ranma was on cloud nine. When Mihoshi hugged him to cry on his shoulder, she pressed her body completely against Ranma. Before he had gone to the Tendo Dojo he hadn't thought much about sex, when he got there he thought about it even less. He had remained afraid that if he even entertained such ideas, Akane might use some strange pervert detector on him. But now that he didn't need to fear any jealous fiancés Ranma received a guilty pleasure in having her shapely body pressed against. Also that protective feeling that he had had earlier returned in full force and so as he tried to stop Mihoshi's crying he also squeezed her some in their hug. When Tenchi called for everyone to calm down and listen to him some more, Ranma was pissed. He didn't want to dredge up old pains, he just wanted to sit there and hold Mihoshi in his arms. And the damnist thing about the whole thing was that Ranma didn't know why, besides feeling protective, he wanted to hold her.  
  
********  
  
As Mihoshi left their embrace, Ranma sighed. He then looked to the group and thought about where he left off. As he remembered his place in his story he felt something rub against his leg. When he looked down he saw a small furry face. Large yellow eyes took up most of the space on the creature's face and the face was topped with a pair of large floppy ears. All these things in Ranma's mind said Rabbit, or rabbit like creature. This perception was put into doubt when the creature happily cried, "Miya!"  
  
********  
  
Ryo-Oh-Ki spent her day, as she was wont to do, playing in the woods and praying to the holy shrine she erected, a shrine to her patron goddess, the goddess of carrots. As she was playing and praying she felt her mistresses emotions coming over their link. She felt Ryoko's confusion at not knowing how to comfort Ayeka, then came elation from Washu's message about the unknown stranger's awakening. When she "heard" the good news she decided to go and meet him, but since she was so far away she would have to fly to get to the house in a reasonable amount of time. As she flew Ryoko's emotion continued to flow across the link. She felt as Ryoko's concern about Ayeka quickly transmute to pain and sorrow and yet among the grief there was an undercurrent of resolution. Ryoko wasn't willing to give up at the small setback, she and Ayeka were playing a game, a game that Ryoko was determined to win. As Ryo-Oh-Ki flew to her destination, she shared Ryoko's excitement that their visitor was finally coming out of Washu's lab. When the small cabbit reached the house she felt of anger come from her mistress and as Ryo-Oh-Ki entered the living room she saw Ryoko and Ayeka both standing in anger. Unlike other times that she had seen this type of seen before they didn't seem angry at each other. Rather their considerable ire seemed directed at no one. As Ryo-Oh-Ki looked at the people in the room she spotted a new face. She assumed that the stranger caught up in Mihoshi's death-grip was the man that Washu had been working on sine Mihoshi brought him. After Tenchi had managed to calm everyone down, Ryo-Oh-Ki hopped over to the stranger to greet him in the way that she felt proper, she rubbed up against his leg. When the man looked down at her she smiled as best as she could and gave off a pleasant, "Hello." Unfortunately she can't speak common, so when she greeted him it came out as, "Miya!"  
  
*********  
  
When the small goofy looking creature at Ranma's feet opened it's mouth, Ranma didn't hear a cute noise belonging to creature of it's stature. No, what Ranma heard was a CAT. Ranma was in a quandary, the information from his eyes told him that he was looking at some kind of mutant rabbit, but his ears told him that the small ball of fluff before him was a member of the dreaded species cat. And so he did the only thing a man with an intense fear off cats and a slightly addled mind can do. He ran, well jumped.  
  
And jumped he did, straight up, over the rafters and landed right next to where Sasami was seated. When he landed, he pointed at the odd creature and, in the steadiest voice that he could manage, he asked, "What. What is that." The panic, or as Ranma would say "concern", in his voice was kept to it's minimum but everyone in the room could here it clearly as a bell.  
  
Ryo-Oh-Ki's eyes were shining with tears as she saw the stranger's apparent dislike of her. Sasami saw her friend's tears she swooped down and hugged her. Sasami looked up at Ranma and said, "This is Ryo-Oh-Ki and she's harmless! Why don't you like her," cried Sasami.  
  
"What is she," Ranma's panic still there.  
  
Washu answered this time, "Ryo-Oh-Ki is a combination consisting of a mineral lifeform and an creature called Mass," she answered seriously. Her face then twisted up in confusion, "Why do you want to know?"  
  
Ranma's suspicion lessened but it did not completely disappear. He looked at Washu with his eyes narrowed, "So she isn't a cat?"  
  
Washu nodded her head, "Correct. While Ryo-Oh-Ki has several traits that appear cat-like, she isn't one. In fast, she is much more that just a cat, she has wants and needs just like the rest of us. Also like the rest of us she has emotions and I think that you should apologize to her," she finished icily.  
  
Ranma's suspicion became embarrassment, "Eh . . . right." He then walked over to Ryo-Oh-Ki and kneeled in front of her. As he reached out and petted her head he said, "I'm sorry, Ryo-Oh-Ki, I thought you were a cat and I was worried what might have happened if you were."  
  
Ryo-Oh-Ki looked at Ranma with wide misty eyes and asked, "Miya?"  
  
Ranma flinched at the sound of her voice but continued on, "Yes, I mean that."  
  
Ryo-Oh-Ki smiled wide and exclaimed, "Miyah," which caused Ranma to flinch again.  
  
Tenchi who had been watching the entire exchange, watched as Ranma flinched each time she spoke and it clicked with him. He looked at Ryo-Oh- Ki and began to talk to her, "Ryo-Oh-Ki I think that you should not speak anymore. I think that Ranma is afraid of cats and you sound allot like a cat."  
  
Ranma's head whipped in Tenchi's direction and shot him an accusing glare, "I'm not! There is no way that I'm scared of some stupid . . . Ah hell, yeah I'm scared of cats. I've got good reason to be though," as he finished his head dropped and he stared at the floor, as he tried to banish the images that Ryo-Oh-Ki's voice invoked.  
  
Tenchi smiled gently and placed his hand on Ranma's shoulder, "It's ok Ranma. You don't have to tell us about anything that makes you uncomfortable."  
  
Ranma shook his head and stood up, and turned his back to everyone. He stood there for several moments and gathered his thoughts. Eventually he began to talk, "No Tenchi, you're wrong. I have to talk about it, it's just difficult. I had hoped to keep this a secret, but if I am going to be living with you guys then you must know this." He turned back to the group and graced them with a brief smile, "Well everyone, sit back and listen. Because this is the only time that I want to say this."  
  
As everyone in the room sat back down, Tenchi remained standing. He placed his hand on Ranma's shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes. "You really don't have to say anything."  
  
Ranma shook his head, "Yes, I do. If something happens and you guys don't know what is going on, someone could be injured, . . . or worse killed."  
  
As Tenchi looked at Ranma's eyes he could see the great pain contained within those blue/gray orbs. He nodded and removed his hand, "Ok Ranma, the show is yours, but if you ever want to stop then do so, ok."  
  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, I understand." With that Tenchi began to move back to his seat between his two loves. But before he was two steps away, Ranma's voice stopped him, "And Tenchi. Thanks."  
  
Tenchi looked back to Ranma, smiled, and simply nodded. And with that Ranma and Tenchi took their respective seats.  
  
As Ranma sat in his place beside Mihoshi he pulled himself together for the ordeal he was about to experience. And with a sigh he restarted his tale, "After years of training with my old man he found a training manual that detailed a powerful martial arts technique, the Neko Ken."  
  
********  
  
When Ranma mentioned the Neko-Ken, Katsuhito's eyes gleamed. In his travels before settling with his wife and becoming a priest, he had heard of the Neko-Ken. As he traveled through what is now Tibet he came across a village, the huts were destroyed, people lay dying or dead, and all about were great gashes in the earth. It was if some monstrous cat had ripped the village to shreds. As he treated the victims he learned that all of the destruction was caused by a small boy, his father wanted to be able to protect the village and he felt that the only way to save his home from raiders was to teach his only son the Neko-Ken. In the boy's feral state he killed his father and destroyed the city his father so wanted to protect.  
  
If Ranma's father really did teach Ranma the Neko-Ken then he would have to kill him. Not many things brought Katsuhito such ire but the Neko- Ken was one of them. He listened ever closer to Ranma's tale and hoped that his suspicions would prove false.  
  
********  
  
Ranma sat there, his eyes were far off and pain ridden, "The training was so simple," he said with a bitter laugh. "First, dig a large pit and fill it with starving cats. Then take the person you want to train, that would be me, and wrap them in fish. After they are firmly tied up, drop them into the pit. Repeat this until they learn the technique. I lost track of how many times I was thrown into that blasted pit at ten. Each time I was thrown in, the fear only grew. It continued for awhile until I found a way to let go of all that pain and when I took it I paid a horrible price. As I slipped into unconsciousness a new personality took control and I believed I was a cat. What I did while I was like that, I'll never know. All I know is when I woke up, I was in the middle of a shredded clearing and pop was covered in scratches." As he described the horrors inflicted upon him the pain and fear that he still had from that experience crept into his face. Before anyone in the room could express their anger, Ranma started to talk again, "And that wasn't the worst part. No, the worst part is knowing that now, if I stay to long around a cat I will slip back into that cat state and do something horrible," he finished with a shudder and a whisper.  
  
Throughout the room the people's reactions varied.  
  
*********  
  
As Katsuhito sat and listened to Ranma's story his hatred for Genma Saotome only grew. He could conceivably forgive Genma's other transgressions, but this. No, there was no way that Katsuhito could forgive this crime it was very simple Genma Saotome must die.  
  
*********  
  
Ryoko was glowing red with rage, her gems were responding to this just rage and glowed a fierce orange. As she sat there, with he hair flapping in some unknown breeze, she thought over everything that Washu had done to her. Sure Washu left her in her lab, in the cold dark, alone. Her only companions the shirt she wore and her own tortured cries for help. But that was only that one time, since then she had treated her like a normal person, if not like her daughter and she had forgiven Washu for that. But this, this, she couldn't even begin to describe what this was. Not even Kagato at his worst was that bad, he mostly let the atrocities that she committed while she was under his control, torture her. If she ever met up with this Genma Saotome she would show him the price for torturing innocents.  
  
*********  
  
Ayeka was furious and shocked. In her fury she glowed a bright blue to balance Ryoko's red. And in her shock, tears track their way down her face. She was there when Ryoko, under Kagato's control, came and attacked her beloved Jurai. She saw the broken and bloody bodies and in her sheltered life, she thought that was the worst side if life possible. But what that, that creature did to Ranma was beyond the barbarity that she witnessed on Jurai. If she ever met with this monster she would show him how swift Juraian justice can be.  
  
*********  
  
At her seat beside Ayeka, Sasami, and by extension Tsunami, was crying. As she clutched Ryo-Oh-Ki to her chest the tears flowed. "How could a father do that to his son," she whispered.  
  
In her place in Tsunami, Tsunami watched and listened to Ranma's story. At hearing what Ranma's father did to him, it made her weep. Also Ranma's tale made her decision about whether or not she would grant her blessing upon Ranma. If his will was as strong and his heart was as pure as she thought they were then she would gladly allow him to use his Light Hawk Wings.  
  
********  
  
As he sat there Tenchi was shocked. His life had been a relatively sheltered one and the brutality that Ranma described was simply amazing. He knew that people could be cruel to each other, but this, this was unlike any thing that he could conceivably imagine. As he listened his shock turned to an emotion that he rarely felt, anger. Sure when one of the girls blows something up he feels anger but this was different. This was a seething black anger, an anger that not properly controlled could easily become hatred. He wasn't willing to let the evil that Ranma's father did control his life. So yes he would pay, but it would be Ranma to determine the punishment not anyone else.  
  
********  
  
In her seat beside Mihoshi, Washu's face was oddly blank. Internally she felt an intense desire to find this Genma Saotome and completely wipe him out of existence. And yet she knew that she couldn't do that, right. So she sat there, the internal battle never showing on the surface. Except for the red outline of energy surrounding her body.  
  
*********  
  
The only person in the room whose mind was perfectly clear was Mihoshi. As she sat next to Ranma while he told his story her heart reached out to him. Here was someone whose pain equaled her own, so her path was clear, she would try her hardest to cheer him up, so that this horrible injustice can be put to rest and Ranma can live in peace. So with her purpose decided she hugged the now silent Ranma and tried to convey to him that others are there to help.  
  
*********  
  
After completing his story of the Neko-Ken, Ranma sat there and tried to bring himself under control. As he said there he felt a pair of arms bring him into a hug and his mind was soothed. This was the first time that anyone had hugged him after hearing about that terrifying part of his life. Usually when people are told about how he learned the Neko-Ken they vow to kill his Pop or something like that, but this was a first. He turned his head to see was treating him with such kindness and when he looked into the light-blue eyes of Mihoshi he felt hope. Hope for the future, hope that he will beat the Neko-Ken, hope that he had lost at some point but had now found. Thanks to Mihoshi he now had hope again and that is a gift that he could never repay. Her hug, while helping to calm him down, also had another effect, it increased his feelings for Mihoshi. He could now honestly say that he could call her, friend.  
  
*********  
  
Tenchi, seeing that everyone in the room was ready to kill someone, decided to get the group on a decidedly different track than that. He looked over to where Ranma was sitting and smiled, "At least one of us is looking out for him," he thought. He then spoke up, shocking everyone out of their dark thoughts, "Ranma, would you like some time to settle down or do you want to continue?"  
  
Ranma sighed and shook his head, "I'd like to stop but that wouldn't be fair to Ryoko. Her portion of your story was just as bad, if not worse than, mine, and you told me everything. If she can live with it, so can I," he finished with a weak smile in Ryoko's direction.  
  
Ryoko's heart soared, "He doesn't' hate me, he said I had it worse than him! Well babe, now you gotta keep an eye out for him, because he might wind up as family," she mentally said as she watched Ranma and Mihoshi.  
  
Tenchi smiled at Ranma's kind words and looked at him in concern, "Are you sure?"  
  
Ranma nodded his head, "Yeah." He then looked at Mihoshi, "Thank you, Mihoshi. I'm feeling much better now."  
  
She looked into his eyes and saw that he was telling the truth, "Ok." She let go of him and sat back up.  
  
Ranma looked around the various faces in the room and restarted what he was saying, "After the Neko-Ken, Pops dragged me across Japan and made me swim to China. As we traveled, he taught me more of the Anything Goes and eventually I was able to hold my own against him. When that started to happen he took us to a place called Jusenkyo."  
  
Katsuhito's eyes flashed in recognition, he had heard of that place. He also heard all the warnings to stay as far away from that place as possible.  
  
Ranma saw that Katsuhito had recognized that place and nodded. "I see you heard of it."  
  
"Only that you should stay as far away as possible. If you didn't you would be irrevocably changed."  
  
Ranma barked out a laugh, "They got the changed part right. Can I please get two cups of water, one hot and one cold."  
  
Sasami happily nodded her head, "Sure," she jumped up, "I'll go and get them."  
  
When Sasami went to get Ranma's water Ryo-Oh-Ki jumped down to the ground. After landing she scampered over to Ranma, hoping that he would be her friend now. When she heard what Ranma's father did to him she understood why he acted like he did and she had forgiven him. Making sure not to say anything Ryo-Oh-Ki pawed Ranma's leg to get his attention. When he looked down at her she tried to convey her want for him to hold her.  
  
Ranma got her message, "So you want me to hold you?"  
  
She nodded her head and smiled.  
  
"Ok but you need to wait until I tell about Jusenkyo. You don't want to get wet do you," he asked with smile.  
  
Ryo-Oh-Ki shuddered, water, if there was one thing she hated was getting wet. So she decided to get away from him while he is talking then when he is done ask to be held again.  
  
Ranma saw her shudder, "Hey how bout this, Mihoshi here holds you while I talk and when I'm done I'll hold you, ok," he smiled at her look of happiness. He then turned to Mihoshi, "Is that ok, Mihoshi?"  
  
She smiled at Ranma, "Sure, I don't mind. I always love to hold Ryo- Oh-Ki." She then held out her arms to pick her up.  
  
That's when Sasami came back with the water. When she reached Ranma he stood and she handed the glasses to him, "Here you go Ranma."  
  
Ranma smiled at her, "Thanks Sasami." He then sat the glass filled with hot water on the low table and held up the cold one. "Ok when you go to Jusenkyo you see hundreds of poles sticking up from the pools or water there. When the old man and I got there the guide tried to warn us about the springs but we didn't listen. We jumped up onto the poles and fought each other. I was able to knock Pops into a spring and when he came out he was a panda." He smiled at their disbelieving looks, "I was shocked when he came out and he used me shock against me, so he kicked me and I landed into a spring." He then dumped the contents of the glass onto his head and triggered the transformation. "The spring of The Drowned Girl."  
  
********  
  
When Ranma changed into a girl the people's reactions varied, Ryoko and Ayeka were shocked and angry.  
  
********  
  
Sasami was amazed, "That is so cool. How did he do that," she thought. Tsunami was also amazed, but what amazed her was the energy patterns of the change. Now that Ranma was of Jurai she could read the various flows of energy that were in use in Ranma. She saw that the curse was in fact three energy patterns, one was the gender change, another was a trigger, and yet another was a field that caused something to be attracted to him, though what it was she could not determine.  
  
********  
  
Washu was having similar thoughts, "How did that happen? Maybe he'll let me find out. Or better yet I'll let Genma show me how it works," she rubbed her hands together. "Yes. Genma Saotome, you will make an excellent guinea pig."  
  
********  
  
Tenchi's brain was short-circuited, here was a pretty girl with a wet shirt. But she was really a guy and right beside him was Ryoko and Ayeka. So he did the only thing he could, look at his feet and think happy thoughts, like Ryoko or Ayeka in wet shirts, or even better Ryoko AND Ayeka in wet shirts.  
  
********  
  
In Katsuhito's mind the rage at Genma grew. Before his conviction to kill Genma wasn't that firm but now he was sure.  
  
********  
  
Mihoshi showed no response, her face was blank. But on the inside she was drooling and confused. Drooling because when Ranma changed he was standing right in front of her and when he change his wet chest was at her eye level. Confused because she was attracted to Ranma, in both forms, but she didn't want to betray her dead lover. So she sat there and stared blankly at Ranma's now prominent chest.  
  
********  
  
Ranma smiled at the looks on the people's faces, "Well at least they're not yelling," he thought wryly. Internally he was worried, the curse was usually the thing to turn people away from him. At least no one in the room showed any disgust for him, but it might come after the initial shock wears off. Deciding to not let them think too much, he then continued his description of the curse, "Cold water causes the change," he the bent over and retrieved the cup of hot water. "And hot water changes me back," with that he dumped the water on his head and reverted to his birth form. So that they couldn't ask any embarrassing questions he continued with the story. "Well, after Jusenkyo and some other adventures in China we headed back to Japan. When we got to Tokyo the idiot tells me that I have a fiancé and that we were going to live with her and her family. Eventually I had to deal with Chinese Amazons out to marry and kill me. Then my best friend who I thought was a guy but was really a girl showed up and wanted to marry me to. It turns out that Pops had sold me for food a lot, so while I was there all these girls showed up wanting to marry me. Then along with all the girls out to marry me were the guys. They wanted to kill me. As time went by we all had many adventures and even though we worked together a lot, they always went back to wanting to kill me. After a year or so all the pressure got too much, it forced me into the Neko-Ken and I ended up hurting several people very badly. So I left Nerima to finally get control over it. As I was heading here to find any information about the Neko-Ken I was ambushed by one of my rivals and he was the one that beat me up. And that's where Mihoshi found and rescued me," he then looked at Mihoshi and smiled. "By the way, thanks again for that."  
  
As Ranma told his story, Mihoshi listened raptly. When he mentioned that he had a fiancé her heart dropped. When she heard that he had more than one and that his father was responsible she quickly recovered. Then she yelled at herself, "Dammit Mihoshi, get it together, how can you think of anyone like that after Her. Remember what you said, you said that you would never be interested in anyone ever again." She then answered Ranma, "No problem Ranma, I'm just glad you're ok," she finished with a smile.  
  
Clapping his hands together Ranma exclaimed, "Well that's it, so when do we start training?"  
  
******** End of Chapter 2  
  
Authors Notes: This chapter is finally complete, YAY! College is finally upon me so expect chapters further apart. Just so you know, I will finish this, because if I don't all my ideas for Book two will be worthless. I bet there are many things that people have problems with so I'll try to address them. First things first, yes Ryoko and Ayeka do like each other. And yes Tenchi does like them both. Now about why Mihoshi is acting the way she is. I feel that she is an intelligent person, in the OAV. Sure her grandfather probably helped her get her ship but I doubt that he or Mihoshi would allow any favoritism in regards to getting into the GP. And if she is a Detective First Class that must mean that she is good. So when she couldn't save Ranma that brought that into question. Also if you have gotten this far then you are probably asking, "What the hell is up with Katsuhito? He never acted like that in the anime!" If you are saying that then I agree with you, but this isn't strictly a Tenchi universe anymore is it. I have a reason for his hatred of Genma and when I finally reveal it you will understand. And if you already hate someone then it is easier to jump to murder. Also remember something, Katsuhito is only in the guise of an old man, in fact he is really a young man. There are several instances that prove this, such as the time when he grabbed Ryoko's breasts or when he plays the girls off one another. About the way Ranma is acting around Mihoshi, the way I see it is, when Ranma was on the road with Genma he didn't have much time to think about women. When he got to Nerima he had to worry about his curse and he had to deal with the possibility of Akane finding out and calling him a pervert. So here he is at Tenchi's house and this babe, that has no ties to him, throws herself at him why wouldn't he be effected. About Mihoshi reaction to Ranma, yes she is attracted to him but her loyalty to her past lover is at odd with this new attraction. On to Ranma's Light Hawk power, no he will not be as powerful as Tenchi in that regard. And yes Tsunami can keep tabs on all her children, at least she can in this story. Sorry to anyone hoping to that there would be action in this chapter but I felt that this was needed to set the tone for the various relationships among the group and to have some questions that can be built upon in later chapters. If you have made it this far then thanks for reading and look out for further chapters in the future. This is Chaos Lord, signing out. 


	4. Chapter 3 Settling In

The Light Hawk War  
  
By: Chaos Lord  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to their respective owners. The concepts dealing with the Time Gates the Ultimate Good and Evil and the Forbidden belong to PacMan.  
  
********  
  
Chapter 3  
  
********  
  
Clapping his hands together Ranma exclaimed, "Well that's it. So, when do we start training?" He wanted, no needed to do something besides sit there and talk some more. He needed to banish the thoughts that were now running there way through his head and the best way to do that was to train. His hope for training was dashed when Tenchi shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry Ranma, but it's too late to start any training now. Besides, I don't know about anyone else, but I need to clear my mind from what we just talked about," he was backed up by a round of assents by everyone in the room. "So, why don't we wait till tomorrow and we can begin your training then, ok," he asked with a smile.  
  
Ranma's shoulders drooped in disappointment, and while nodding his head, he said, "Ok, I guess you're right. If you don't mind I'm going to go outside and practice some, I don't want to get rusty, ok" He then started to head out side but before he walked too far he turned back to the still sitting group, "Does anyone want to ask me anything." He didn't want the to ask any questions but he figured that it was only polite to ask.  
  
Hell yes did they have questions. His story, for the most part, was generalized and had huge gapping holes. But they all realized that he might not ready to tell them everything yet, if his entire life was as bad as what he did describe they understood.  
  
So, to calm the obviously nervous Ranma, Ryoko said, "I don't now about the others, but I'm willing to wait until you're ready to tell us more." She knew what it was like to have a painful past and to not want others to know about it. She was amazed that a human was able to survive such tortures and remain sane. He had defiantly earned her respect for even being able to discuss what he endured when undertook the Neko-Ken training.  
  
At seeing the rest of the group's nods of agreement, Ranma continued on his walk to get outside. Just as he reached the door he remembered something and headed back to the living room. When he got there he saw that Washu was already gone and that Sasami and Tenchi were cleaning up the table. Ranma walked up to Tenchi, "Hey, Tenchi."  
  
At hearing his name called, Tenchi looked up to address Ranma. "Yeah Ranma, what's up?"  
  
"Well I was wondering where my pack is."  
  
Tenchi looked at Ranma in confusion, "I'm sorry Ranma. But when Mihoshi brought you here she wasn't carrying any packs and she really hasn't told us where she found you. You might want to ask her ok." "I hope this works," he thought. During their earlier conversation and before that when Ranma came out of the lab, Tenchi saw how he and Mihoshi were interacting with each other and Tenchi was overjoyed. If he could get Ranma and Mihoshi together then that would be one less girl after him, although in the last few months she hadn't been pursuing him like she had in the past. But the real benefit of getting those two together would be to Ranma, he would be able to have someone stable to live his life with. It also helped that she was a babe. "Although she has nothing on Ryoko," he thought. He then began to think of all the times he had seen Ryoko in a less than clothed state, and he began to mentally drool.  
  
When Tenchi's face went blank then formed that goofy expression he had seen other guys get when they're thinking of some naked girl, Ranma felt that their conversation was over. "Hopefully he wasn't thinking of my girl form, that would be gross," thought Ranma. Seeing that Tenchi was less than helpful he turned to the still seated Mihoshi, and walked over to her. When he reached her he found that, like Ryoko and Ayeka, she was staring at him blankly. But unlike Ryoko and Ayeka her stare seemed to carry a deeper meaning that Ranma was unable to divine. So, he tried to snap her out of whatever kind of trance she was in. He waved his hand in front of her face and called out her name. When that didn't work her gently shook her by the shoulder and called out her name even louder, this finally broke her out of her trance.  
  
*********  
  
Even though Ranma had finished his tale of his life, Mihoshi's mind was in turmoil. In her mind there was a argument going on, an argument between a representation of her dead lover, her newfound desire for Ranma, and a dark shadowy form that represented her fear. Fear of abandonment, fear of being alone and most significantly fear of loving again.  
  
"Dammit Mihoshi, what's the matter with you? Don't you love me anymore," asked Lover.  
  
Before she could answer Desire interrupted, "Of course she does, idiot. How could she not? You're the one that taught her how to express her love, both physically and emotionally, and she could never forget that. But you're dead, and she isn't, do you think she deserves to suffer like that? Besides did you see his butt. And those breasts on his girl form, didn't they just call to you," she asked while drooling  
  
Lover looked at desire in disgust, "Yes I did, and it took every once of strength I had to keep you from fondling them."  
  
Before Desire could respond, Fear interjected, "But what if he doesn't like us? What if he leaves us like she did," she asked in a timid voice.  
  
Desire rolled up her nonexistent sleeves and got in a boxing stance. "Then we'll fight. We'll move on, what's the purpose of life if we spend it moping around." She then pointed to Lover, "The real you would have wanted Mihoshi to move on, not stay in this oblivious, idiotic state."  
  
Before anyone could respond, Mihoshi felt herself being shook. She the focused in the one who was shaking her. When her eyes focused on the deep blue-gray eyes of Ranma, all the factions in her mind called a temporary truce so that they could fully take in the eyes in front of her. Even Lover looked, because even though she represents all the loyalty and memories Mihoshi had for her, Lover was still a part of Mihoshi.  
  
*********  
  
When Mihoshi's eyes finally focused onto Ranma he asked, "Mihoshi are you ok? You kind of zoned out there," he said with a smile.  
  
She nodded her head, "Yeah I'm fine. Do you need something?"  
  
"Um, yeah. Tenchi told me that you know how to get to that clearing where you found me. My pack, with all my stuff, is still there, and I was hoping that you would be willing to take me there," he asked with a smile.  
  
Mihoshi quickly stood up and knocked her head into Ranma's, causing them both to fall to the ground. As Mihoshi laid there, nursing her bruised cranium, she didn't realize the compromising position they were in.  
  
Ranma, on the other hand, did realize this fact since his face was firmly planted between Mihoshi's breasts. As she lied there on top of him he inhaled to take in her soft smell, cinnamon and a hint of some sort of body oil.  
  
When Mihoshi was convinced that her skull wasn't seriously injured she then felt something lodged between her breasts. She then remembered that she had landed onto Ranma, sat up to see if he was all right. When she looked down at him she saw a glazed expression on his face and some drool running down his cheek. Thinking that this was because of her injuring him, Mihoshi began to cry and apologize, shaking Ranma back and forth.  
  
Ranma was knocked out of his cleavage-induced mini-coma by Mihoshi's shaking. When he focused on her and saw that he was crying, he got panicked. During his training trip he had seen what happens if a girl cries for too long, her family comes out of the woodworks to deliver a major ass whooping. So to diffuse this potential bomb, Ranma began to wave his hands in front of him and say, "I'm ok, really, I'm ok."  
  
Mihoshi's crying slowed and she look down at Ranma, "But I knocked you unconscious."  
  
Ranma looked at her in confusion, "You did. When?" And the he realized what she was talking about, "Oh that. Um. . . well you just stunned me." He then brought his hand up to his head and hit himself a few times. "See, no damage done. So I was wondering if you could get up off me now." It wasn't as if he really wanted her off, it's just that he realized where they were at and that Ryoko and Ayeka were still sitting on the other couch. Besides it was getting a little hard to breathe with her sitting on her stomach like that.  
  
Mihoshi looked down at Ranma and realized the position that they were in. She quickly got off of him and helped him up. "I'm sorry about that Ranma."  
  
Ranma waved off her apology, "Hey no problem. As long as no blood is gushing I'm fine. So, how 'bout that clearing, huh," he asked, hoping to get her back to the reason that he started talking to her in the first place.  
  
Mihoshi looked at him in confusion for a few moments until she remembered his pack, "Right, you wanted to get your pack."  
  
Ranma nodded his head, "Yeah, it's got all my stuff in it, so I need to get it back."  
  
"Ok." Mihoshi then pulled out her control cube, "Put your hand on my shoulder and I'll try to get us there." When Ranma did she told him, Mihoshi looked down at the cube and said, "Now what was that combination? I think it was left twice then spin." When she entered the combination she and Ranma disappeared.  
  
*********  
  
From where he had been watching the entire event Tenchi was grinning. As soon as Ranma and Mihoshi disappeared he began to countdown from five, "Five, four, three, two," before he could say one he heard a loud splash outside. "Well at least Mihoshi is getting back to normal," he said with a grin. He then looked over to the still forms of his two loves, "Ryoko, Ayeka, you two can get up now, you know."  
  
In unison the girls in question swiveled their heads to face Tenchi.  
  
Seeing that they were still somewhat out of it, Tenchi continued, "You know we're done talking, right. You can do something else you know."  
  
This seemed to break Ryoko out of her disbelieving trance. She the looked over at the princess beside her and said, "I could sure use a work- out right about now. How about you Ayeka?" She needed something to release her frustrations on and fighting with Ayeka was always so much fun.  
  
Ayeka nodded her head, "Yes I believe I need a work-out as well." Like Ryoko, Ayeka was feeling the stress from that discussion and the events shortly thereafter, and she needed some stress relief. And Ayeka found that the best stress reliever was to try to beat Ryoko up. Oh sure, she didn't go all out, most of the time, when she fought Ryoko, but it was still fun, sometimes.  
  
So, their course decided, the two of them got up and headed for the room for them. The room that Washu had designed for when people wanted to try out really destructive things but didn't want to destroy the surrounding countryside. It was where Washu tested all he new weapons, why just last week she had tested a device that she saw on an old anime, a Reflex Cannon. Ryoko had said that it would be cool to have one of those and Washu decided to try it out. All her other experiments had been in a hands off phase, so Washu had been bored and boom, you've got a truck sized super weapon. Well, Washu had opened this space up to everyone, especially Ryoko and Ayeka, to use and abuse as they saw fit. The introduction of this room dramatically reduced the amount of time Washu spent repairing the house.  
  
Tenchi stood there and watched the entire exchange with mild confusion. He shrugged his shoulders, "Oh well, at least they are treating each other civilly." Over the last few months Ryoko had been trying to fight with Ayeka less and less. This bolstered Tenchi's meager hopes of marrying both women. He then broke himself out of his stupor and continued clearing the table so Sasami wouldn't be mad at him. She could be scary at times.  
  
*********  
  
Inside the meta-tech battleship Yukinojo materialized Mihoshi and Ranma, a very wet Mihoshi and Ranma.  
  
As Ranma stood there he grumbled, "Damn water based curse, can't go five minutes without getting wet, rasa frasa." He might not mind changing into a girl anymore but he did mind being a water magnet. It's hell on clothes, he always had to worry about them mildewing on him. After wringing out his shirt of some excess water he turned to Mihoshi to see how she fared. When he saw how her hair glistened and her shirt was stuck to her chest, he froze. And although his danger sense was screaming at him to look away, he was unable to budge a single muscle.  
  
*********  
  
Mihoshi was in the same predicament. When she teleported in she found that she was soaked to the bone, a state that she regularly found herself in when she teleported onto her ship. She turned to look at Ranma to see if he was ok. What she saw gave her pause, Ranma was facing away from her and his pants were plastered to his, now very feminine, butt. And if that gave her pause, then when showed her how the wet clothes looked on his front, well that floored her.  
  
*********  
  
Mihoshi and Ranma were broken out of their wet clothes induced stare by the screaming of the ship's main computer, Yukinojo.  
  
"Mihoshi," nothing. "Mihoshi," a grunt this time. He then brought himself as close as he could to the staring pair. After the head felt that it was at the right distance, he opened the panels that covered the speakers that he had installed to wake Mihoshi up. "MIHOSHI!!!"  
  
Said girl was quite startled by this yell. She was so startled that she jumped into Ranma's arms.  
  
On the other hand, Ranma wasn't startled by Yukinojo's scream. No, what startled Ranma was that his once empty arms were now filled with Mihoshi, again. He quickly looked around him to find the reason for Mihoshi to be in his arms, not that he minded. He just wanted to know why she was in his arms. As he looked, he quickly came across a floating mechanical head. Before he could say anything to it Mihoshi climbed out of his arms and addressed the wonder.  
  
"Yukinojo why did you scare me liked that," asked a very crossed Mihoshi.  
  
"Because you would not listen to me," he replied, his ire just as great as Mihoshi's. "Now what I want to know is, who is this unauthorized woman and what is she doing on board?"  
  
Mihoshi looked a little confused, "A woman, where?" She then looked at Ranma and realized who the irate computer was talking about. "Oh, this is Ranma and he isn't a woman," she answered as if that explained everything in the world. She then felt someone tapping her shoulder. When she looked to the one who tapped her she saw, the still female, Ranma.  
  
"Uh Mihoshi, I do look like a girl right now," said Ranma as he gestured to his female body. " So you might want explain me a little better to you ship. It looks kinda, off."  
  
Mihoshi turned back to Yukinojo and saw that steam as coming out of the computer's head. "Oh, um let me see," she said as she put her index finger against her cheek and tilted her head. "I know, Yukinojo, because of a curse Ranma now turns into a woman when wet." She then pointed to Ranma, "As you can see, he is very wet right now so therefore he is a woman."  
  
Despite Mihoshi's rather confusing explanation, Yukinojo went with his other question. "Yes, yes, but what I want to know is why he is on this ship"  
  
"We were going to get his back pack and I teleported us here by accident. Besides he's a Juraian royal, I think. Well any way, we must get going," she then grabbed Ranma arm and pulled out her cube. "So bye Yukinojo," and with that the two of them disappeared.  
  
*********  
  
In a forest clearing there was silence. Some woodland creatures were scurrying about and all was calm. That was until Mihoshi and Ranma teleported in, then all those creatures disappeared as quickly as the duo appeared.  
  
Ranma looked around for a few seconds then turned to Mihoshi, "So. Is this where you found me at."  
  
Mihoshi nodded her head, "Yes, this is where I found you." She then pointed to a spot in the clearing, "That is where you were you lying when I materialized." As she said that, Mihoshi's voice became thick with sadness. Yes Ranma had forgiven her, even thanked her, but she still couldn't completely forgive herself.  
  
Ranma, who was staring at the spot that his life might have ended, heard the pain in her voice and turned to Mihoshi. "What's wrong? You sound upset."  
  
"I was just remembering how I hurt you when I was trying to save you," she replied, tears making their silent journey down her face.  
  
"Hey I forgave you, you don't have to be upset now," said a slightly panicked, Ranma.  
  
"I know, I'm just having problems forgiving myself."  
  
"Hey now, stop crying. You don't have any reason to cry. When you rescued me you not only saved my life, you saved my soul."  
  
Mihoshi looked at him oddly, "What do you mean?"  
  
"When I was lying there, I knew I was dying, I could feel it. And instead of fighting it with every fiber of my being, like I should have, I gave up. I wanted to die to ease my suffering. When you came and saved me you gave me a second chance. I now realize that what I did was stupid and I have you to thank for that."  
  
Before anything else could be said he quickly began to look for his pack. After a few minutes of search he finally found it, when he did he began to go through it to see if anything was damaged. When he was finished he grinned, the only things messed up were the perishable foodstuffs. Everything else was in good condition, "Yet another plus to using Ki," he thought. Ever since he had been using his Ki for everything like he does now, he found that his clothes were not as susceptible to bugs as before. As near as he could figure it, all the Ki he has been using had left a lasting impression on his clothes and it acted as a kind of bug repellent. He put all of his stuff back into the pack, making sure to leave all the perishable food that had spoiled behind. He then picked up his pack and turned back to Mihoshi, "I'm ready to go when you are."  
  
Mihoshi, who was still thinking about what Ranma had said, wordlessly put Ranma's hand on her shoulder and teleported them back to the house.  
  
When they arrived at the house, Ranma began looking for Tenchi so that he could ask where to put his pack. Before he could more than a few steps from Mihoshi her voice rang softly out.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Ranma turned back to her and fund that despite the newfound tears running down her face, a bright smile still graced her lips. Not being able to say anything when faced with this scene, Ranma merely smiled and nodded his head.  
  
To Mihoshi this simple action comforted her more than a trillion you're welcomes. In her happiness, her smile got a lot bigger and her whole face became radiant.  
  
When Ranma saw this he was stunned by her beauty. He was so stunned that he could not say a word. So he would not make a fool of himself he turned away from her and continued on his quest to find Tenchi.  
  
*********  
  
In the middle of the training room that Washu built sat Ryoko and Ayeka with their backs against each other's. Surrounding them was ruble and craters as far as the eye can see. Apparently they had a great many frustrations to work out. Since they were still wearing their clothes, we can assume that they haven't worked out all their frustrations, but suffice it to say they have calmed down from Ranma's tale. For a long while neither said a word but finally Ryoko decided to get a conversation going, and so she asked a question that had been nagging her since they discovered that Ranma was Juraian. "So Ayeka, do you think that Ranma should be part of the royal family?"  
  
Ayeka was silent for a while in thought. That was a good question, should he be a member of the royal family just because of a Washu-induced fluke. The part of her that still was mired in court politics answered stringently, "NO!" But the part of her that loved Tenchi, and to a lesser extent Ryoko, the part that had been slowly growing since she started her stay with Tenchi, said yes. So she had a very important decision to make, would she choose everything that she learned in the royal court, or would she embrace love. She decided that for the time being she would take a neutral stance on the subject, less questions that, for the most part, been left unanswered be answered. "I do not know. Right now, I do not know enough about him to say whether he should become a member of he royal family or not. Although if he did, it might solve some of the problems he has with multiple suitors."  
  
For Ryoko, this was a perfect opportunity to bring up an issue that she had problems with finding the perfect time to ask about. "So Ayeka, Tenchi is a member of the royal family and he might even end up the emperor. Does that mean that he can get married to more than one woman," she asked hopefully.  
  
*********  
  
When Ayeka heard this, her heart dropped into her stomach and grew cold. She knew what Ryoko meant when she asked her question, and Ayeka knew that she was nowhere close to being able to answer that question. A part of her heard the hope in Ryoko's voice and wanted to hug her and tell her everything was going to be all right. Another part of her was repulsed, women are not supposed to love other women especially Ryoko, the woman that attacked her beloved Jurai. Her mother and Auntie Funaho didn't act that way so why should she. At the same time she couldn't say no to Ryoko, not now at least. If she had asked several months ago, then Ayeka could have said no, but over the past months her defenses were crumbling and it was getting hard not to encourage her more than she has to date. And so, as to let the matter drop for now she stood and began to walk away, but before she could get out of hearing range the part of her that was in love with Ryoko stopped her so she wouldn't crush her spirit. "It is possible," and with that she hurried away.  
  
*********  
  
After Ryoko had asked her question her confidence left her and was replaced with self-doubt. "You idiot! How could you have asked that, you know what she thinks of you, she would never want to be in a relationship with you." Another part of her rose up to meet the challenge, "Who cares, at least she asked. How would she know if Ayeka cared if she didn't ask. At least this way she might get some sort of resolution to this conflict. I know I don't like how we are in pain all the time. Do you?" With that, Ryoko's mind went silent in anticipation of Ayeka's answer. As time went by she became sadder and sadder and her sorrow was only increased when Ayeka stood and began to walk away.  
  
All of Ryoko's sorrow vanished when Ayeka stopped and said, "It is possible." And in sorrows place appeared hope. Ryoko knew what Ayeka could have meant by her statement. To her, Ayeka said, "I'm not ready yet, please give me more time. And since Ryoko was, for all intents and purposes, immortal, she could what for something as important as love for a long time indeed.  
  
*********  
  
Back in the house, Ranma's search for Tenchi finally ended when he found Tenchi in his spacious room. Before Ranma entered the open doorway he knocked. "Hey Tenchi, can I come in?"  
  
Tenchi, who had been sitting at his desk, was startled out of his idle thoughts by a knock at his door. As he was turning to see who was at his door he heard Ranma asking to enter. "Sure, what's up," when he saw that Ranma had his pack he forgot about his first question and started on a different topic of conversation. "I see that Mihoshi was able to help you find your stuff." As he was talking to Ranma, Tenchi was having a hard time keeping his thoughts straight. This was because Ranma's shirt was still somewhat wet and he was still a woman. "Heh, I guess some of dad did rub off on me," thought Tenchi.  
  
Ranma, who was oblivious to the direction that Tenchi's thoughts were taking, answered Tenchi's second question first. "Yeah she did. We had to take a trip through the lake to get it, but oh well," he finished with a shrug. He then shifted to the reason he had looked for Tenchi in the first place. "Hey, do you know where my room is at."  
  
It took Tenchi's mind several seconds to process Ranma's question. This was because that it was still reeling from when Ranma shrugged his shoulders. But after the question was able to penetrate the fog of perverted thoughts, Tenchi's mind immediately shifted into helpful mode. "We don't have a room for you yet, but Washu did say that she would be done with your room by the end of the day."  
  
"She doesn't have to build me a room. I can just camp outside, I don't want her to do a lot of unnecessary work on my account." He didn't want to be burden to anyone, especially people he just met.  
  
Tenchi waved aside Ranma's protest, "It's no trouble. In fact, when she heard that she would be able to mess around with the fabric of reality she got real excited. I haven't been allowing her to do that recently and I think she has been getting bored."  
  
Ranma was slightly confused, "What do you mean by, mess around with the fabric of reality?" While he wasn't completely sure what that meant, Ranma was pretty sure that it didn't sound like a good thing.  
  
"She'll probably just build a door and construct the room in subspace, that way your room won't take up that much space. So why don't you just put your stuff somewhere while you wait for her to finish."  
  
"Ok, I can do that. If anybody comes looking for me I'll be outside practicing," and with that he headed back the way he came.  
  
As Ranma left the room, Tenchi was shaking his head in disbelief. Here he had given some time off before they start their training tomorrow and what does he go and do, practice martial arts. "Oh well," he shrugged, "to each his own." With that he sat back at his desk and started daydreaming about Ryoko and Ayeka wrestling in a tub of chocolate. As he pictured this scene a line of drool began to work it's way down his chin.  
  
*********  
  
After placing his pack in the entryway to the Masaki home, Ranma went outside and began to warm up. As he did this he encountered something odd, Washu and Tenchi said that it has been days since he was injured and yet he wasn't in the least bit stiff or sore. This was especially odd since for the last week he had been laying on a bed, unconscious. Not one willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, he shook off the oddity and started one of his katas.  
  
As his body flowed from one form to the next Ranma's mind went over recent events. As his mind muttered over everything that happened, he came to several conclusions. The first was that he was supremely lucky to meet such good and generous people. Why, this is the first time that he has met others on the right foot. This could mean one of two things, either nothing bad will happen, or the universe was setting up something truly huge to screw his life over. The second thing he realized was that out of the lot of them, Ryoko was probably the best equipped to handle a full accounting of his life. Sure, Tenchi has killed before, but it seemed to him that Tenchi has no remorse for the act. And the third item that Ranma came up with was "What the hell." For some reason, that he couldn't fathom, when he was around Mihoshi he couldn't think straight. When he had been talking to Tenchi and Washu in her lab he was perfectly normal. But as soon as Mihoshi latched onto him his thoughts turned in a direction that would have gotten him beaten in Nerima. When she was around and he thought of her, two emotions took control, protectiveness and lust. The first he could understand, when she latched onto him she appeared very vulnerable and that caused him to want to protect her. The second, lust, he couldn't understand. He had seen many girls in various states of dress, or in Shampoo's case, undress, and that never effected him. But with Mihoshi he seemed incapable of suppressing that desire. He knew that since he would be living with these people for at least the time it will take for him to learn how to control his Juraian power, he would have to learn control over those feelings. "Hey, if I can go all that time in Nerima and not do anything, I can do the same now," he confidently thought.  
  
As he was in a precarious position that required him to be balancing on one hand and do an amagruikan with his legs he heard Mihoshi's voice calling out to him. That was more than enough to break his concentration and send him head first into the ground.  
  
*********  
  
As Mihoshi sat in the living room she thought and went over what Ranma had told her. She had felt like that once, the complete letting go of life. After her lover died, Mihoshi had spent two months in a almost catatonic state unwilling to live and yet unable to take her own life and join her lover in the world beyond. But luckily her mother and her lover's mother got together and convinced her to live, if not for herself then at least for them. Mihoshi could never repay that kindness, because of them she was able to go to Earth and associate with such wonderful people  
  
As she was looking about the living room and reminiscing, she came to the large glass wall overlooking the lake. While looking out the widows she saw Ranma practicing his art and her breath was taken away at the beauty and grace that he was displaying. As he moved from one form to another, a singular thought entered her mind, "I want to do that." Ever since she was a little girl Mihoshi had been moderately clumsy and while it was annoying she could live with it. She had always been fascinated with how graceful some people could be and she always envied them for that. But here was a very good martial artist and she wanted to learn from him. So she headed outside to ask Ranma to teach her his art. When she got outside and up to him he was in the middle of an especially complicated looking maneuver. Mihoshi was in awe of the skill necessary to execute such a move and in her awe she spoke out Ranma's name.  
  
*********  
  
After Ranma's head impacted with the ground Mihoshi rushed to all the while apologizing for what she had done.  
  
On the ground Ranma was waving off her apology, the only damage that was inflicted onto him was the damage to his pride. Never in his entire life had someone just calling his name caused him to do that but, "What the hell," he thought, "at least it was Mihoshi and not Akane. If she had seen this she would never let me live it down." To make sure that Mihoshi would believe that he was unhurt Ranma quickly jumped up and started to bounce up and down. "See I'm fine. No harm no foul," he said with a large smile.  
  
Mihoshi's crying abated at seeing Ranma's antics. "Oh, ok, I'm still sorry about that though."  
  
"Hey, no problem, really. So was there something that you wanted to ask me?"  
  
Mihoshi nodded her head, "Yes there was. I was hoping that you would be willing to teach me to your art. I'm a little clumsy and I think that this might help me to get over that," she said hopefully. She really hated looking like a fool when she tripped over objects that others just walk over.  
  
Ranma stood there and thought about Mihoshi's request. His first thought would have normally been, "No." Normally that is, but here, now, standing there and looking at the hopeful look on Mihoshi's face the word would just not come to him. So, he heaved a sigh of defeat and answered the hopeful woman.  
  
"Since I don't have a license to teach Anything Goes Martial Arts my answer would normally be no, but I think I know a way around that rule," he said with a smile at his ingenuity.  
  
When Mihoshi heard that Ranma would say no she grew disappointed, but that disappointment quickly changed back to hope when he said that he had a way around the rules. "What way do you mean?"  
  
"Well, first off, you wouldn't be my student, you would be someone that watches what I do and copies that. That way I can teach you without actually teaching you."  
  
Mihoshi was giddy, "That's great! When do we start."  
  
Ranma looked around to see if the area was big enough to practice martial arts. Seeing that it was he said, "Well, right now. That is, if you feel up to it."  
  
Mihoshi was shocked and delighted, "Now? That's great," she then looked down and saw what she was wearing. "But I don't think that I am wearing the right clothes for training," she said as gesture to her pink tank top and khaki pants.  
  
Ranma made a dismissing gesture, "Training in a gi is ok, but you should also practice in clothes that you often wear. That way you won't be in an unfamiliar environment in your own clothes. Now lets get started shall we."  
  
And so, Ranma began to each Mihoshi the ways, as he saw them, of his art. They practiced long into the night, only stopping for the dinner that Sasami cooked.  
  
*********  
  
There is a clearing near the Masaki Shrine. In this clearing there were a number of poles embedded into the ground at various heights but no higher than two feet. Into this clearing stepped Ranma and Tenchi. Their styles of dress greatly contrasted each other, Ranma's blue long sleeved Chinese style shirt and black pants showed a more laid back view on things. Whereas Tenchi's formal brown gi showed a greater emphasis on a more rigid style of fighting. When both fighters were in the clearing they faced each other and they took up fighting positions.  
  
"Ranma, this is to see how good you are and how much physical training you need so that you may start your spiritual training. Now, let's see what you've got," and with that Tenchi charged at Ranma and readied his bokken for attack.  
  
Ranma saw that the attack was coming and redirected it.  
  
As Tenchi flew past him Ranma he lashed out with a kick and was able to tag Ranma in the arm. He quickly landed and attacked Ranma again with similar results. This continued for several minutes until Tenchi finally grew too frustrated to continue. "Ranma, why won't you fight back."  
  
"I was fighting back," stated Ranma.  
  
Tenchi shook his head, "I left openings a mile wide and yet all you did was block and redirect my attacks. That isn't fighting, that's what someone does when they are afraid to get hurt," he goaded. Tenchi knew that something was off about Ranma. If he did all he said he had done, he would have to have fought.  
  
When Ranma heard what Tenchi said he got angry and turned away from him, "You wouldn't understand."  
  
"Then make me understand. How am I supposed to teach you how to use your Juraian power if you never really fight back?"  
  
Ranma sighed, he knew that he would have to tell them about this. He just didn't think that he would have to tell so soon. "One of my last adventures was to a place called Jusendo. I won't go into why we went there, but suffice it to say I ended up having to fight the King of the Phoenixes, Saffron. It was the most difficult battle of my life, no matter what I tried against him he would just regenerate. It finally came down to me having to kill him so that I could save, what was at the time, my fiancé and the rest of my friends. After that, I vowed to never use my art to hurt anyone else."  
  
Tenchi walked over to Ranma and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You did what was necessary to save your friends. It's not your fault that Saffron is dead, it's his."  
  
At that Ranma grew furious, he shrugged off Tenchi's hand and spun around to face him. "His fault, HIS FAULT! We came, we woke him up before he was supposed to. He woke up and defended himself and though he went to far, it's because we woke him up before he was fully mature. You want to know how I killed him huh, HUH! I didn't cut him in half like you did with Kagato. No, I froze his body solid and then blew him up. And this wasn't some truly evil man like you killed, he was the driving force, the very life, for an entire species. You might think that killing Kagato was ok because he was a bad man and that makes you somehow more righteous than he was, but face the facts Tenchi. YOU. KILLED. HIM! And no matter how you slice it, he is still dead and you can never change that fact." When he finished his triad he wasn't in the right frame of mind to block the punch across the face that came from Tenchi.  
  
As Ranma went deeper and deeper into his tirade Tenchi's anger only grew. It continued until he could no longer hold himself back and he decked Ranma. "You arrogant bastard. How dare you insinuate that I felt nothing after killing Kagato. I was in agony for weeks after that, I went over the entire event so many times I thought that I would go mad. Do you know what I finally came with after all that thinking, I couldn't do it any different. Kagato was a real and lasting threat to the entire universe, but more importantly he was holding Ryoko and Ayeka hostage. I don't know how much you loved your fiancé when you killed Saffron, but I do know how much I loved the two of them at that moment. The sound of Ryoko' begging for my life and her sorrow filled scream will forever haunt my nightmares. But despite the fact that I killed, I keep on training and fighting, and you know why? To keep them safe and happy. So you go and continue not fighting back and one day someone you care for will not possibly die, they WILL die. And when that happens you will feel a million times worse than you do now." Tenchi then turned away from Ranma to regain his composure. He hadn't meant to yell like that but in his anger the words just rolled from him.  
  
On the ground Ranma was in shock. Not from Tenchi's punch, "Hell Akane hit harder that," he thought wryly. No, what shocked Ranma was Tenchi's words. When he vowed to never use the art to hurt others again he never thought of the possibility that because of his inaction someone that he cares about would get injured, or killed. He quickly flashed to all those that he cares for and then overlaid their images with one of them in various states, beaten, dead or dying and he promised them that he would make sure that they never got like that. Ever. He stood up and placed his hand on Tenchi's shoulder. "Tenchi, I am truly sorry. I had never thought of it in that way. I had been so mired in my father's teachings about killing that I never thought about the other side of that equation. Also, I would like to say that I'm sorry for my harsh words. I had been bottling all that up ever since I killed Saffron and I guess your helpful prodding brought that out. That's no excuse for what I said, but still, I'm sorry."  
  
Tenchi turned so that he could face Ranma. "I'd also like to apologize, I had meant to say what I said much gentler. But you thinking that I didn't care about killing Kagato caused me to lash out at you."  
  
"Hey it's ok. We Saotomes are naturally thick headed and when we get an idea in our skull we tend to stay with it unless someone brings us down to earth. So thanks." He then slipped into an aggressive stance and with a grin on his face he said, "Let's try this again."  
  
Tenchi brought up his bokken and slipped into his own stance. "Yes let's," he said with a grin to match Ranma's.  
  
With that the two of them rushed each other and did battle.  
  
*********  
  
"That was two months ago," thought Ranma. He was now sitting under Katsuhito's tree-ship Funaho. After he found this spot, he kept coming back whenever he had any free time, whether it was to meditate or practice the techniques.  
  
Over the past two months Ranma had a pretty regular schedule. Start the day by training with Tenchi to harness his Juraian power, and for the most part the training has been successful. He might not be able to create those energy shields that Tenchi and the old man could, but he can use the Tenchi-ken pretty well for a guy with two months of sword training. After lunch, he teaches Mihoshi in Anything Goes. He was amazed at the level she reached in just two months. Though she wasn't as strong as Akane, as far as he could tell she would probably be able to take her in a fight because she was so much more skilled. And after he was done teaching her for the day he would come to this clearing and do some personal training.  
  
That was why he was there now. He had just spent several hours training is some of the more esoteric Amazon techniques and he was now resting against Funaho. As he sat there, all the intense training finally caught up with him and Ranma took a long needed rest. So he lay there, between two of Funaho's large roots and as he lay there he began to glow a soft translucent blue. And then, he disappeared.  
  
*********  
  
Shortly before Ranma's disappearance from the base of Funaho, Sasami was reading in the Masaki living room. For her, the last two months had been fun. She spent her mornings cleaning and doing any other chore that had been assigned to her for that day. In the afternoon, she watched as Ranma taught Mihoshi his style of martial arts. At one point she had asked if Ranma would teach her along with Mihoshi but he shook his head and replied.  
  
"I'm sorry Sasami, but I can't teach you. I'm not really allowed to teach others Anything Goes without a license, so I might get into serious trouble if the Master of my school finds out. If I could teach others then I would be more than happy to teach you, but as things are now I can't." He had then paused in thought, "I also can't stop you from watching us, but you wouldn't have me there to correct any mistakes you make."  
  
And so, she practiced and mimicked Ranma and Mihoshi's moves. She even started to practice Ranma's teaching of anything can be training. The broken plates can attest to that. Also several little instances during the last two months have brought Sasami some amusement. Why, all the mishaps Ranma experienced with the baths were a riot. While in the middle of remembering a particularly funny moment when a naked female Ranma running came out of the onsen with various bathing supplies being thrown at him, Sasami heard a voice. A voice belonging to her other half, that of Tsunami Goddess of Jurai.  
  
"Sasami, it is time. Are you prepared."  
  
"I have to tell Ayeka and go to my room, and then I'll be ready," she mentally replied.  
  
"Very well, I will be waiting," and with that Tsunami retreated from Sasami's mind.  
  
As soon as Sasami felt Tsunami go back to the area she normally stays at, she stood and walked over to where Ayeka and Ryoko were sitting. "Ayeka."  
  
Ayeka, who had been so engrossed in the program she and Ryoko were watching, hadn't heard Sasami's approach. So when Sasami called her name she was startled. Ayeka quickly let go of Ryoko's hand and stood up. She didn't care that Sasami had seen her willingly holding Ryoko's hand, it would have been virtually impossible to keep her's and Ryoko's relationship from her. Especially after Sasami told her that she had been moaning Ryoko's name in her sleep. She just stood so that her sister could have her full and undivided attention, "Yes Sasami. What is it?"  
  
"Tsunami came and spoke with me, so I need to go upstairs and lay down so that she can interact with Ranma. I wanted to tell you that if you go looking for me you will know where I'm at, ok."  
  
"Thank you Sasami, that is most considerate of you. Do you know why Tsunami wants to talk to Ranma," asked Ayeka in concern. The goddess of Jurai doesn't call someone up to say, "Hi." There is always an important reason for her to talk to someone and Ayeka wanted to know if everyone's new friend, Ranma, was in some sort of trouble.  
  
Sasami nodded her head and had a secretive smile on her face. "Yes I know why but I'm not going to tell you, it's a surprise. I can tell you that Ranma is not in trouble with Tsunami." With that she ran upstairs so she could help Tsunami help Ranma.  
  
*********  
  
Back in the living room Ayeka was talking to Ryoko. "What do you think Tsunami wants with Ranma?"  
  
From her spot on the couch Ryoko shrugged her shoulders, "Who knows. She isn't the most frequent visitor we get around here." She then patted the couch beside her, "Come sit back down. We're missing the movie."  
  
Ayeka quickly sat back down beside Ryoko and intertwined her hand with Ryoko's, "Sorry about that. It's just whenever Tsunami shows up it means that Sasami has to be unconscious and I get worried about her."  
  
Ryoko squeezed Ayeka's hand, "I know you do, but Tsunami merged with Sasami to save her, I don't think that she anything to harm her."  
  
Ayeka smiled at Ryoko, "I know that but I don't think that I will not ever be at ease when something like this happens. I am her sister after all." And with that Ayeka settled in and watched the movie.  
  
In her seat beside Ayeka, Ryoko was having a hard time concentrating on the movie they were watching. She was so giddy that it was practically illegal. Half of her master plan had already come to fruition, she and Ayeka were now a couple. They were not as much a couple as Ryoko would have liked, but truth be known, Ryoko wasn't really ready for a relation ship as physical as she wanted. But they were a couple and adding Tenchi to their relationship was only a matter of time. As she sat there and thought about the day that would change her life, the smile that graced her lips only got larger.  
  
*********  
  
For all the residents of the Masaki home that day two weeks ago started off like another. That is for all the residents but Ryoko, because today she had a plan, a plan that if successful could see the realization of some of her dreams. So as to not alert her prey to her master plan she acted perfectly normal. As her pray went about her daily tasks, she had no idea that Ryoko was watching her. She definitely had not the slightest inkling of what Ryoko had in store for her.  
  
So Ryoko did something that many that knew her would never think she was capable of, waiting patiently. Waiting for the moment when her pray would be in the perfect position to spring her trap. It wasn't till one o'clock in the afternoon that Ryoko felt that her plan was ready to go. When it was she quickly teleported near Ayeka and started up a conversation. "So Ayeka, you look bored why don't we go to the training room and have some fun."  
  
Ryoko mentally grinned when Ayeka replied, "Yes I believe a little exercise is just what I need."  
  
So the two of them headed to the training room, one to get some exercise, and the other to take a chance and bet on love. After they entered the room, Ryoko disabled the door so that they wouldn't be able to leave the room until she said so. As soon as she was done with the door she joined Ayeka and they began to fight.  
  
After about twenty minutes of fighting stopped fighting and put phase two of her plan into motion. "Hey Ayeka, can we talk?"  
  
Ayeka dropped her shield and took up a position more conducive to talking. "About what?"  
  
"Us. As you know, I love Tenchi very much. It was so easy to fall in love with him, he was the only companion that I had for seven hundred years and despite the fact that I knew he couldn't see me, I always felt that he could somehow sense my presence. And after he freed me from that cave I was able to see other things about him that caused my love for him to only grow.  
  
But then you came along and Tenchi became attracted to you along with me. At first I only saw you as competition in a battle for Tenchi's heart, but after awhile something began to change my mind about you. Through all our battles and my studying you to find an advantage, I began to fall in love with you along with Tenchi. As time went by and we went on adventures or worked around the house that love only grew in intensity. But at the same time I was afraid of you, I still remember the way you looked while you were torturing me on your ship and every time I would work up enough courage to tell you that image would appear in my mind. So I would wait some more and try to rebuild my courage. Then to my amazement you started giving little hints that I took to mean that you might share the same feelings that I have for you. So I ask you, no, beg you to consider a relationship with me. We both know that Tenchi loves both of us, so why don't we get together so that he doesn't have to choose."  
  
"Ryoko what you suggest is difficult for me. Yes I do love you, almost as much as I love Lord Tenchi, but I don't think it will work, I'm sorry."  
  
At those words Ryoko felt her heart crack and tears come to her eyes, but she had come this far and wasn't willing to give up without a fight. "Why? Why wouldn't it work?"  
  
"It's not proper, queens should not feel those types those feelings for each other."  
  
That got Ryoko angry, she had seen the way Misaki and Funaho treated each other and it was definitely not a platonic relationship. "Who filled your head with that idea, it's utterly ridiculous. I saw your mom and Funaho and they looked awfully friendly."  
  
"That's just for show."  
  
"So they sleep apart."  
  
"Of course not. They sleep with my father."  
  
"And you don't think that they have sex every now and then, come on Ayeka get with the program. Just because they don't have mad passionate sex on the royal throne doesn't mean that they don't love each other. You have been gone from Jurai for seven hundred years, things might have changed. I'll bet that if you ask your mother about this she would probably say something like, "Yes, queens aren't supposed to show any romantic feelings for each other, but co-wives can.""  
  
"Fine, let us suppose that you are correct, but what about Yosho and Sasami, what will they think about us partaking in the kind of relationship you want."  
  
Ryoko smiled at her foresight, she had known that Ayeka might try this excuse. "I think they would approve. At least they did when I asked them yesterday."  
  
"You already asked them."  
  
"Yup," Ryoko grinned. "In fact Sasami even said that she would then have two big sisters." She then folded her arms across her chest, "Well that gets rid of two of your reasons. Do you want to come up with some more, or do you want to end this and accept my proposal?"  
  
Ayeka smiled at Ryoko and shook her head, "No, there are no more that I can think of, so I accept. But I have a few conditions, the first is that we go slow. I am not ready for a relationship as serious as you want. The second condition is that we wait on sex until I can speak with my parents. Whether they give their blessing or not is irrelevant, I just think that it is proper to let them know our intentions. Do you think that you can handle those conditions?"  
  
At hearing Ayeka's acceptance, Ryoko's heart soared. "Of course I can. I'd do anything to be with you."  
  
Ayeka slyly smiled, "Oh really." She sauntered over to Ryoko and placed her arms around he neck. "Anything?"  
  
Now Ryoko was nervous, Ayeka had never acted like this before, all she could do is gulp and nod her head.  
  
"Good," and with that Ayeka began to move her head towards Ryoko's.  
  
*********  
  
"Oh yes," Ryoko thought with a smile, "that was definitely a great day." And while they didn't have sex, they did have a rather heavy-duty make-out session. Just thinking back on that day made Ryoko blush. Ayeka then made a noise in response to something that she saw on screen and Ryoko decided to start paying attention to the movie.  
  
*********  
  
When Ranma woke from his nap he instantly knew that something was amiss. He was in a dark room, with what little light that was in the room provided by glowing blue trees that looked similar to Funaho. Despite the fact that he was in a strange place, he stood as if he had awoke in his bed at the Masaki house. He looked around and quickly spotted the room's sole occupant, a blue hared women wearing elaborate robes. Her face was kind and Ranma felt a sense of peace just looking at her. She opened her eyes and focused their pink-hued gaze unto him. As a smile graced her lips she spoke, "Hello Ranma, I am Tsunami."  
  
*********  
  
Authors notes: Well this is the end of another chapter, if you have reached this point then give yourself a star. If you have gotten here without stopping and sending a response then give yourself two stars. Seriously though, as you can see I have jumped this ahead two months. Anything that might have happened during that time will be gone over as a flashback, but there shouldn't be too much more about that time. About Mihoshi being able to beat Akane, her SKILL level is higher than Akane's and she is much more emotionally controlled during a fight. If anyone thinks that I rushed the relationship between Ayeka and Ryoko, then tough. It is not a vital story component and it was not necessary to go too in-depth into it. Sorry that this chapter is shorter than others, but this is the point that I had come with to end this chapter and I like to have a place that looks like it could end a chapter. I can't wait to hear what you think.  
  
Chaos Lord 


	5. Chapter 4 Couples Getting Together

The Light Hawk War  
  
By: Chaos Lord  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to their respective owners. The concepts dealing with the Time Gates the Ultimate Good and Evil and the Forbidden belong to PacMan.  
  
********  
  
Chapter 4  
  
********  
  
"Hello Ranma, I am Tsunami."  
  
Ranma was shocked and in awe. Tsunami, she said that she was Tsunami, and this place, now that I think about it, looks exactly as Tenchi described. "Um, hi. I take it you're the reason I'm here."  
  
Tsunami nodded her head, "Yes, I am. I brought you here because you were finally able to receive my gift to you."  
  
Ranma was confused, why would one of the most powerful beings in the universe want to give him a gift. "You didn't have to go to the trouble of getting me anything, I've already got everything I need."  
  
Tsunami smiled at that, "It was no trouble since you already have the gift. All I have to do is activate it like I did Tenchi's."  
  
Ranma was shocked, he knew what gift of Tenchi's that Tsunami activated and was amazed that she would do the same for him. "You mean you are going to allow me to use The Light Hawk Wings, but why, there isn't anything wrong is there."  
  
"At this moment I can not tell you the reason that I bestow upon you this gift. Suffice it to say, the reason is valid and important." At that she started walking across the water and towards Ranma. She stopped only a few inches away from Ranma and placed her hands onto his shoulders. She stood there for a few moments so as to prepare herself for activating Ranma's power. When she was ready she placed her forehead against Ranma's and the runes on her forehead began to glow. In response to this, two long, thin triangular runes appeared on Ranma's forehead and they too glowed. After several seconds, Tsunami pulled away and the glowing stopped, but the runes that had appeared on Ranma's forehead remained, a testament to Ranma's power. "There, now you have the ability to use the power of the wings whenever you choose, but know this, your power will never be as great as Tenchi's, since your power did not come naturally."  
  
Ranma quickly rubbed his forehead where his runes were at, then asked Tsunami, "Thanks for doing this, but I was wondering if you could tell me how to use them, because I think you forgot to tell Tenchi."  
  
"Due to rules that I can not go into, I could not tell Tenchi how to use his gift, but since you exist outside the purview of those rules I may tell you and you can, in turn, tell Tenchi."  
  
Ranma was a little confused about the rules bit, but as long as she would tell him how to use the wings he was happy. "Thanks, that would be a real help."  
  
"The first thing you need to know is that for one to use the power of the wings one must be calm, both mentally and spiritually. That is the reason that Tenchi has only been able to use them in life or death situations. It is only then that his spiritual worries about Ryoko and Ayeka coincide with his mental worries about them. So if he is to ever use the wing's power outside of life or death situations he must go to Ayeka and Ryoko and tell them how he feels. You on the other hand will never be able to use the wings without help."  
  
Ranma was flabbergasted, "She gives me the power only to tell me that I will never be able to use it, why." "Why Tsunami, why can I never use my power?"  
  
"Ranma, if I were to send you back right now, you would never be able to us your power, because no matter how calm your mind may be you still have a fear buried deep in your soul. Your fear of cats and the personality that appears when you are in prolonged contact with one prevent you from using the wing's power. As you are now the only benefit the wing's power gives you is your curse."  
  
Ranma looked at her in confusion, "What do you mean? It didn't get rid of it did it?"  
  
Tsunami shook her head, "No, when I activated your power it merely changed your curse's trigger."  
  
"What do you mean by trigger?"  
  
"The curse you received at Jusenkyo was in fact two curses. The first curse is the obvious one, the curse that changes you gender. The second is one that you might not have thought of, a water attracting curse, or more specifically, a cold water attracting curse. Now the first curse was linked to the second by a trigger, this had the effect of causing you to become a woman when splashed with cold water. When I activated your light hawk power I was able to change what the trigger is linked to. Now you will only change genders when you want to, since I linked the trigger to your will. All you have to do is think about your female form and will yourself into it. You should probably try it now to see it work."  
  
Ranma was ecstatic, the one thing about his curse that he hated she had fixed for him. So he followed Tsunami's instructions on how to shift into his cursed form. In his mind's eye he conjured up an image of his female form and when he felt he had it solid enough he imagined his soul entering that other shell and bringing it to life. As soon as he completed that thought he felt the tingling and subtle shifting that heralded his curse. When the change was finished with him, he looked down and spotted the large breasts that he had become used to while he was in this form. And then he realized that something was off, it only took him a few seconds to figure out that along with his body his clothes had changed as well, including proper under garments. "Ack"  
  
Tsunami's happy tone became one of worry when she heard Ranma's shocked outburst, "What is wrong?"  
  
Ranma was slightly embarrassed to tell her about his change in apparel , but he figured that if this would happen every time he changed, he might as well know now. "Um, Tsunami, are my clothes always going to change when I do?"  
  
Tsunami breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought that she had messed up and changed his other form. She had never thought about Ranma's clothes when she told him to change. "I am sorry Ranma. I forgot to mention that since this place is not entirely real it changes clothes to fit the wearer's gender. It has not been an issue before since those that have been called to this place only had one gender. To ease your fears, no that will not happen in everyday life, but it will happen if you change genders while in your Light Hawk armor. Now we have other matters to discuss, namely your using your Light Hawk Wings."  
  
Ranma nodded his head, "Yeah, you said that I can't use them because of my fear of cats."  
  
"That's right, but I can help you overcome this problem." She then waved her arm and a black vortex appeared. With her arm towards Ranma she said, "Ranma, take my hand and let us begin your journey of healing."  
  
Ranma took Tsunami's hand with trepidation. They were about to face his deepest, darkest fear and that scared him a bit. As Tsunami and Ranma entered the portal, the only thought on Ranma's mind was, "I hope this works."  
  
*********  
  
When Ranma exited the portal he found himself in a barren wasteland. As the cold wind blew against Ranma he saw a dark and foreboding storm cloud off in the distance. The storm was so violent that he could see the fierce lightning from where he stood. As he continued his survey of the land, the only sign of civilization he could see was a road that made its way towards the storm. After completing his survey, he turned to Tsunami, "Where are we, and why am I a guy?"  
  
Tsunami, who had also been taking a look around, turned to Ranma to answer his question. "We are in your soul," she said sadly.  
  
Ranma was in shock, "My soul? This, is my soul? This barren wasteland is my soul. Why?" Ranma knew that he had done some bad things in his life but he didn't think that they would cause his soul to look like this. He doubted that even Happosai, despite all his evil deeds, would have a soul that would look like this. He was broken out of any further thought by a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and looked at Tsunami.  
  
"Ranma this is merely a portion of your soul. It all of it looked like this I would have never allowed you access to the Light Hawk Wings. We are now on the outskirts of the part of you that the Neko-ken resides. And this is as far as can go, the rest of this journey is for you to go on alone. Before you continue there is something that I must give you. Hold out your hand."  
  
Ranma did as she commanded and Tsunami placed two seeds into his hand. He looked at the seeds and then back at Tsunami. "What are these for?"  
  
"Those seeds are yours and Tenchi's space trees. Take them to Washu and ask for her help in planting them."  
  
"Why do Tenchi and I need trees?"  
  
"They will allow you to use your conventional powers without risk of death or serious injury. Also one final request before you start your journey, please tell Washu that I have given my blessing to Yosho's tree and it may be removed safely."  
  
Ranma nodded his head and placed the seeds into his pockets. "I'll tell her, and Tsunami, thanks." With that he began to run towards the storm and the Neko-Ken.  
  
Tsunami stood there for several moments and watched as Ranma ran towards the storm. "You're welcome. Good luck, Ranma, I pray that you will need it before this is over." Her body began to glow and he vanished.  
  
*********  
  
As Ranma ran towards the source of his fears his only companion was the wind that was blowing in his face. Step after step, he ran for what seemed like hours, as he neared the storm the winds only increased, while at the same time the temperature steadily decreased. Eventually his run slowed to a jog, then to a walk, then he was finally forced to crawl his way towards the storm. He was crawling for two reasons, the first was that the wind was so strong that he couldn't stand and the second reason was that the wind had gotten so cold that spears of ice were being hurled at him. Crawling was the only way he could protect his face. The howl of the wind had gotten so loud that he was unable to think.  
  
Some time later he reached the storm, this was both good and bad. It was good because the wind died down enough to allow Ranma walk. Reaching the storm was bad because he had to watch for lightning. As long as he stayed on the path he was fine, the only problem was that the path was only a foot and a half wide and the lightning was crashing down at the very edge of the path. As a bolt of lightning came down Ranma had to be careful not to jump away because if he did he would receive ten thousand volts for his trouble.  
  
He continued this way for another two hours until he exited the storm and came across a small area that was storm free. The ground there was covered with thick vibrantly green grass. In the exact center of this zone of calmness was a house. It was nowhere near as large the Tendo home, it probably had only three rooms, and that was a generous guess on Ranma's part. The house had something that the Tendo home never had, a palatable sense of calmness.  
  
As Ranma walked to the front door he noticed a statue of a cat on either side of the door. The cats disturbed Ranma greatly, not because of their feline origin but because that they didn't trigger any cat-related response in him. Deciding not to dwell on the statues he raised his arm to knock on the door.  
  
But before he could strike the wooden door a male voice came from within the dwelling, "Come in before you catch a cold."  
  
Ranma did as the man said, because although it was clear and sunny outside there was still a chill in the air and his clothes were soaked due to the ice from the storm. "At least I'm still a guy. I wish she had told me why I was a guy again though."  
  
"You are a male because we are in your soul," answered the large man just inside the room, "and you are getting my floor wet." At that he handed Ranma the towel that he was holding. "You should change into some drier clothes," he pointed at a small table that had some folded clothes laying on it. "Take those and put them on, I shall put them over the fire to dry."  
  
Ranma quickly got out of his wet clothes and put on the simple work clothes that his host had offered him. After he was dressed he sat at the table and looked at his surroundings. The room was small but well insulated so that the fireplace in the corner kept the room nice and toasty. On one wall there was a bookcase filled with ancient looking books, some were leather bound and others were kept together with leather straps. Several minutes after Ranma sat down his host came in with a tray that had teacups and a rough-hewn kettle on it.  
  
The man sat down and began to serve them the tea. As the man served them, Ranma had the chance really take a look at him. He was wearing work clothes similar to the ones that Ranma was now wearing, though they sat differently on his large and muscular frame. His black hair was long and pulled back in a tight ponytail. His ears came to points and they seemed longer than a normal person's. His face was worn, but kind speaking of countless years of outdoor work. Yet despite this, his face was kind. His eyes showed a man far older than his body would say, the fact that his iris and pupils were shaped like Ryoko's were. That is to say, that they were very cat-like in appearance.  
  
After the man finished serving the tea Ranma asked the question that had plagued him since he first laid eyes on him. "Um mister, can you tell me who you are and why you are in my soul?"  
  
After taking a sip of his tea, the man sat his cup back on the table and shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, Ranma didn't anyone ever manners. Why where I come from names have power, so why should I tell you mine. If I did you would have an advantage over me."  
  
Ranma shook his head in return, "Well, where I come from it is polite to give your name to the person you are talking to. Besides, you are the one with the advantage, you know who I am but I still don't know who you are. So I ask again, who are you and what are you doing in my soul?" Ranma had to mentally pat himself on the back, all that verbal sparing that he had with Nabiki and Washu has been rubbing off on him.  
  
After hearing Ranma's counter to his evasion the man let loose with a loud boisterous laugh. "I knew there was a reason that I liked you, and you're right, I do have an unfair advantage over you, so I shall put us on equal terms. Ranma Saotome, my name is Nergal, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. To answer the second part of your query, the reason that I am residing in your soul is that your father put me here."  
  
When Ranma heard that Genma was the reason he had some guy living in his soul he became, shall we say, less than happy. "Damnit Pops, first you sell my body, then you sell space in my soul. What did you get for it, two fish sticks?!"  
  
"Ranma, Ranma, there is no reason to blame your father for anything more than teaching you that false version of the Neko-Ken."  
  
That brought Ranma's mind to a screeching halt. "False Neko-Ken? If the style that I know isn't the "true" Neko-Ken I would hate to see the training for that. And why is the Neko-Ken be responsible for you living in my soul?"  
  
"Well the reason that I am here is that I am in all who are trained in the Neko-Ken. For you see, I am the one that created the style."  
  
"YOU, you created that that twisted technique, why? You like to torture kids or. . SMACK" Ranma put his hand up to soothe his now aching jaw.  
  
"Never, ever associate me and my technique with that god forsaken, bastardized copy. The Neko-Ken I underwent and then perfected is a joyous experience for both the trainee and the cat. Perhaps I should give you an explanation on who I am and what the TRUE Neko-Ken is.  
  
Nine thousand years ago I was a farmer living in the world after a time we knew as The Silver Millennium. When I was alive magic was still a part of this world and a class system became based on the ability to use magic. My wife, daughter, and I could not use magic, so we were farmers. We were able to grow our food and live in peace for a few years until a noble man came to live in our area. He demanded that we give him half our annual crop and my beautiful wife whenever he wanted her. We refused, of course, half of our food would have left us starving and no-one but me was going to touch my wife in that manner. I was so angry at his proposal I knocked him off his horse and into the mud. He told his men not to retaliate against me and he left, even now I wish he would have et them beat me up, maybe then, what came after might not have come to pass. Several days later I came home after hunting in some nearby woods, when I reached the house I was horrified. The house, that my wife and I spent so much time and effort into building, was burnt to the ground. My wife and daughter were lying on the ground, their naked forms were riddled with bruises and cuts. The only living thing in the area other than my self was my daughter's kitten. It was beaten as if it had tried to protect my daughter and was thrown to the side. So I buried my family and left with the kitten. For years after that I looked for a way to get my revenge against the sorcerer that killed my family. During that time I kept the cat alive but it would always be a little slow, I never minded though, it was the only link that I had with my family. Several years later the cat died from a snakebite, when that happened I held the cat and cried long and hard. Then to my amazement, the cat began to glow a bright white, the glow then condensed into a ball. The ball then flew into me and I felt such rapture. I saw my cat's life from beginning to end, I saw how my family was brutalized and I saw all the adventures that I had with the cat. The cat's soul had merged with mine and we both knew the joy of knowing that our family would always be with us. The merging of our souls had some interesting side effects, my senses were all greatly amplified, as were all my physical abilities, such as my reflexes. Also the merging gave me access to a new power, a power that is stronger than Ki or Chi, stronger even than magic. With this power I was able to shred trees easier than I could break a twig. Seeing the power at my disposal I went back to my homeland and exacted my revenge. His attacks and defenses were nothing against my power and when that monster died I vowed to travel the world and protect those who could not protect themselves. So that is was what I did for a great many years after that. During that time I found others that shared my beliefs and I taught these few what would one day be known as the Neko-Ken. The power that my disciples and I possessed scared many men and even the gods themselves are leery of our power. The Babylonians, after hearing of my power named their god of war after me. Eventually I died but my disciples carried out my work, and even though I was dead my spirit lived on in the souls of all who have learned the technique and have the power. Sometime after I died those who feared our power came up with the perverted version that you were subjected to. It was their hope that no one would want to earn a technique that involved what they had created. Unfortunately they were correct and my version has all but disappeared from this world. Then you came along. You have the skill, the heart, and the strength of will to carry on the true technique."  
  
The story that Nergal told amazed Ranma. To have his entire family brutally murdered and then still have the will to live on AND protect the innocent was amazing. "I have two questions. The first question is, what is the name of the power that you found. And my second question is, how can I learn and carry on your school if I can't be around cats without freaking out?"  
  
Nergal stood and headed towards the back of the house, "Come with me."  
  
Ranma did as Nergal commanded and followed him. After leaving the room that they were in Ranma found himself in a small kitchen. A wood stove stood in a corner and the sink had a hand pump attached to it. At the back of the room there was a door to the back. Outside there was a small shrine like the ones that Ranma had seen during his travels.  
  
Nergal opened the shrine and Ranma could see a bright light emanating from within. "I never really named the power that we use because I couldn't think of one. The name that I usually use, power, is a good description of what we use because it is power. What I can give you is an explanation on where the power comes from, it comes from the limitless potential of the human spirit. When a human soul merges with a cat soul, the cat soul allows the human to tap into that limitless potential."  
  
"So is that bright light my power?"  
  
Nergal sadly shook his head, "No, this is the result of the Neko-Ken training that you underwent. Normally this shrine would contain a single light no brighter than a candle's flame. The version of the Neko-Ken you learn merges not one cat soul to a human soul but many cat souls to only one human soul. This caused your soul to become confused and allowed your cat personality to be created."  
  
Ranma wasn't completely sure what everything Nergal said meant but he did hear that there was a problem. "So how do we fix it?"  
  
"You must make a choice," Nergal then reached into the shrine and pulled out three glowing balls. "Ranma, each of these lights is a cat soul. You must decide which will become one with you and which others that will move on."  
  
Ranma looked at the three glowing orbs and then back to Nergal, "Choose? How?"  
  
"They have each agreed to merge with you. No matter how you choose the results will be the same. Only the memories that you shall receive will be different."  
  
Ranma looked at the three balls and picked the one to the farthest right. He pointed at the ball and said, "I'll take that one."  
  
The two balls that Ranma didn't choose flew off and disappeared. Nergal's gaze followed the light, "At last they are at peace." He then shifted his gaze to Ranma, "Prepare yourself."  
  
Ranma stood to his full height, "Ready." The ball that remained in front of Nergal began to glow brighter and then it slammed into Ranma's chest. When the ball entered Ranma he felt happier than he had ever felt before. He watched the cat's entire life, from being born and raised in a street alley to living on the streets. Then one day being found by a large dirty man and tossed into a hole. After that, days of no food followed by the man tossing a boy into the pit, a need for food that was so great it attacked the child to get at the food that was attached to it. The next few times the child was thrown in, watching to see what was going on. The final time that the child was thrown in it watch as one of the other cats savagely attacked the boy until he was close to death. Knowing that he had to help the child who was treated so wrongly by the dirty man. The feeling of peace as his body changed, and then confusion as he entered the boy. The battle for dominance for the next few years, and then finally the cat man ending the fight and giving the boy the choice.  
  
When the flood of images finally abated Ranma felt the new power that Nergal described. Though he could only see a small portion of this energy, Ranma knew he had only scratched the surface of it. When he opened his eyes and looked at Nergal the only thing he could say was, "Wow."  
  
Nergal nodded his head, "Indeed," and with that he shoved Ranma backwards. As Ranma fell away from him he said, "Good luck young cub, and safe journey." When he finished saying those words Ranma fell through the ground, the only sign he had been there was a slight ripple in the ground. Nergal watched the ground ripple until it stopped, when it did he turned and looked at the shrine which had a small glowing ball in it. "Good luck Ranma," and with that he closed the shrine and headed back inside. On his way back he only stopped once to take in the beauty that replaced the storm and wasteland.  
  
*********  
  
From beneath the space tree Funaho Ranma Saotome awoke. As he sat up he was amazed at how much more acute his senses were. The whole area was alive around him, he turned his head to see what was causing some commotion in the bushes only to find that the bushes that were making the noise were over two hundred feet away. He let out a loud whoop and made a b-line to the house to inform everyone about the good news, the fear and uneasiness were gone. Ever since he went through the Neko-Ken training Ranma had been unable to think about cats without being uneasy. As he ran towards the house he had a hard time controlling himself, he was so full of energy he thought that he would burst. When he reached the house he saw Sasami sitting out front, he ran over to her and picked her up. As he spun her around he also hugged her. When Ranma stopped spinning Sasami he stood her in front of him and whispered, "Thank you Sasami."  
  
Sasami beamed at Ranma, "You're welcome Ranma. I guess you got control of the Neko-Ken."  
  
"You bet I did, watch," with that he turned to a nearby tree stump. Once he was sure that there was no one in the line of fire, he swiped his arm in front of him and a second later the stump exploded. He nervously turned back to Sasami, "Whoops, I think I put a little too much power behind of that." He then remembered the seeds in his pocket, "Hey Sasami, is Washu in her lab? I need to talk with her."  
  
"As far as I know she is in her lab."  
  
"Thanks," as soon as the words left his mouth, Ranma was heading for Washu's lab. As he was running he ran past Ryoko and Ayeka who were running outside. "Sorry can't talk."  
  
*********  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka were in the middle of some quality make out time when they heard an explosion outside. They quickly stopped what they were doing and started rearranging their clothes, after all they wouldn't want to fight someone while their chests were on display. When their clothes were in proper order they headed outside to see what caused the explosion. As they exited the house Ranma passed them running the opposite direction.  
  
"Sorry can't talk."  
  
This caused Ryoko and Ayeka to slow down, when they saw Sasami standing out in front of them with a smile adorning her features they came to a complete stop. Ayeka was the first to speak, "Sasami, what was that explosion?"  
  
Ryoko followed her inquiry with, "Yeah, and why was Ranma running away."  
  
"Ranma was just showing me how he can now use the Neko-Ken. He accidentally used too much power and he blew up that tree stump. After that he said he needed to talk to Washu."  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka were shocked, "He can use the Neko-Ken?"  
  
Sasami nodded her head, "Uh huh." She then headed inside to work on some chores.  
  
After Sasami went inside Ayeka turned to Ryoko, "He can use the Neko- Ken now. Does this mean that he will leave." While the possibility of Ranma did not really bother her, Ayeka would miss him. She did know that if Ranma left several others would be hurting, Sasami would be upset at him leaving.  
  
Ryoko shrugged her shoulders, "Who knows. He hasn't finished training with Tenchi, so he might stay." Ryoko hoped he would stay, for Mihoshi's sake. Ryoko had watched how Mihoshi and Ranma interacted with each other and she could see the stirrings of love. On several occasions she watched as the pair practiced martial arts and she could see that some serious emotions were being traded back and forth. Some of the touches that the two exchanged looked like more than they should be.  
  
"You could be right. We just have to hope that Ranma will stay with us." She then decided to change the subject and latched her arm around Ryoko's, "What do you say to a walk?"  
  
Ryoko smiled at the princess, "That sounds great." So the couple took off and began walking.  
  
*********  
  
In her lab Washu's scanners were going haywire. They were detecting an unknown energy signature composed of both Light Hawk power and another energy that was slightly warping the first. When she heard a knock at her door her first instinct was to tell who ever the person was to go away. But when she saw that the energy signature was coming from a point two inches from her door she decided to take a look. She accessed her door's camera to see who was at her door, and when the camera showed her Ranma she was astonished. In the intervening time since the first knock a second one came, it was to this one that she replied, "Come in." When Ranma entered her lab she tried her best to look surprised.  
  
"Hey Washu, is something wrong? I had to knock two times before you let me in."  
  
"Sorry about that Ranma. I was tracing some spontaneously occurring energy patterns." Before she could say anything else, Ranma told her why she was detecting that energy.  
  
"The energy you're seeing is probably coming from me. You see, I've got control of the Neko-Ken now and it gave me the ability to use some new energy."  
  
It took all of Washu's willpower not to hit the button labeled guinea pig collector. But her curiosity could not be denied so she resorted to, "Ranma, do you mind if I examine you to learn more about that energy you use."  
  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders, "As long as you don't do it right now I don't mind."  
  
Washu pouted at not being able to examine Ranma, "Why can't I do it now."  
  
At seeing Washu's pout Ranma almost let her do her scan. But luckily for him, Ranma remembered the seeds in his pockets. So he phrased his request in a way he knew she would respond to, "Because I have a challenge for you, if you're up to it."  
  
When Washu heard the word challenge all her thoughts about Ranma's newfound power went out the window. It was a good thing that she didn't hear the bit about whether she could handle it or not, otherwise she might have done something, drastic, to Ranma. "What kind of challenge do you have for me?"  
  
Ranma mentally grinned, "Good now I have her full attention." "Well I talked with Tsunami and she told me to ask you about something to plant Tenchi's and mine space trees. She also said that she gave her blessing to Funaho so we can move her. Do you think that you can pull it off."  
  
Washu was on cloud nine, she was going to be the first to transplant a royal tree from a planet and into a ship after it has taken root. "Building the tree modules will be easy, I still have the plans to the one that Kagato made. So all I'll have to do is program my equipment to build three of them. Moving Funaho without damaging her will be the real challenge. Hand me the seeds and I will get to work on the problem."  
  
Ranma handed her the seeds and turned to leave Washu to her challenge. As he was about to touch the doorknob Washu's voice drew his attention.  
  
"Before we can plant your tree I will have to scan you to get up to date measurements to put into the habitat. Also, will you get Lord Katsuhito for me? I need to discuss the moving of Funaho with him."  
  
Ranma nodded, "Sure. Do you know where Tenchi's at, I need to tell him something."  
  
Washu, who was already working on her terminal, replied, "I believe he is at the shrine with Lord Katsuhito."  
  
"Thanks." As Ranma left the room he could hear the machinery in the lab coming online.  
  
*********  
  
In an area of the galaxy far removed from Earth, amongst the wreckage of ships and structures, there floated through the void a huge golden hall. In the center of this hall there was a room with golden pillars reaching to the heavenly ceiling. In the center of this room there were two beings. The first being was the floating face of an old man whose forehead contained a floating red ovoid gem. The second being was a woman in flowing robes. Her purple eyes shown brightly with anger and her clawed hand twitched in response of that anger.  
  
The place was the temple to the goddess Tokimi, the floating face was the goddess' high priest D3, and the woman was the sister of Tsunami, the goddess Tokimi.  
  
Tokimi's ire knew no bounds, "Blast you Tsunami, how dare you give Him the power of the wings." If there was one being in this universe that Tokimi truly hated it was Ranma Saotome and now he had the power of the Light Hawk Wings. When Tokimi came to this universe she looked to find any group that could challenge her plan, she found the Kingdom of the Moon. While by themselves the Kingdom of the Moon and it's leaders the Serenitys could pose no threat to her awesome power, Tokimi knew that if they were ever to meet Tsunami's people that it would be disastrous for her. She had watched The Kingdom of the Moon for centuries, manipulating them into not leave their pathetic star system. But eventually she came to the conclusion that her efforts were not enough, yes she could watch space to determine whether the two ever met. Ever since they had come to this universe there was one part of the cosmos closed to her, Time. She, like the paltry mortals of this realm, was stuck living a linear existence. And the brothers would never allow her to openly harm the system since they had claimed it for their "Test".  
  
So for countless years she despaired in the knowledge that she may not be prepared for the coming attack. That was until the fools on the Kingdom of the Moon's outermost planet discovered an artifact with the power to pierce the barrier of time. She had tried in many different ways to gain control of the laughably named Time Gate but the gate, and the gate's guardian, that damnable Sailor Pluto, had defenses too strong to succumb to her machinations. Then a most joyous event occurred, a being calling herself Metallia, The Dark God, was able to destroy the Kingdom of the Moon, and since one of their own people freed the self-styled god, The Brothers were powerless to stop the destruction. With the Kingdom of the Moon cast into the void, the defenses of the Gate's mistress were low enough for Tokimi to enter and manipulate her mind.  
  
Now that Tokimi could use the Time Gate she scanned ahead and found that some of the royalty would be resurrected. She also found that a group of Tsunami's people would live on the Earth but that they would never come in contact with the remnants of the Kingdom of the Moon. As the years crept on Tokimi would periodically check to see if her plans were still on the correct track, and for a long time they were. Then, on one check, an obstacle appeared, a man that would, through blind luck and mishap, unite the Kingdom of the Moon with Tsunami's people and lead them against her. So she tried every thing that she could think of to be rid of him, and now Tsunami has given him Light Hawk Wings.  
  
"You have gone too far this time dear sister, and now I will show you the error of your ways. Zander, come here this instant!"  
  
On a golden pedestal in front of Tokimi a man appeared. He wore heavy black combat boots and his black cargo pants were tucked into them. His crimson shirt was stretched tight across his muscular torso and a dark gray jacket covered his arms. The man's skin was pale white and his face was beautiful yet horribly cruel, the kind of face that says, "I like to bathe in he blood of my enemies." His dark green hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and two black triangles burned on his forehead. He went down on one knee and lowered his head. "You summoned me Lady Tokimi."  
  
"Yes, I did. Go and prepare your self for battle. We must teach my sister a lesson."  
  
Zander stood, a cruel smirk adorned his features, "As you will it my lady." With that he teleported away.  
  
"Ah Tsunami, you shall soon learn to never cross Tokimi." Tokimi then disappeared and shortly thereafter her chapel disappeared as well.  
  
*********  
  
Outside the Masaki shrine Tenchi was cleaning the walk. As he was scrubbing the stones a pair of black slippered feet appeared in front of him. He sat back to see who it was and saw that it was Ranma, "Hey Ranma. What's up?"  
  
"I need to talk to the old man. Do you know where he is?  
  
Tenchi nodded his head and gestured to the shrine behind him. "He's in the shrine office."  
  
Ranma smiled, "Thanks Tenchi. I need to talk to you to so stay here."  
  
Tenchi shrugged his shoulders, "Well these stones and I aren't going anywhere."  
  
"Great." With that Ranma headed to where Katsuhito was at. When Ranma entered the office he saw that Katsuhito sitting at the table drinking some tea.  
  
"'Ah Ranma, back from your talk with Tsunami already, heh."  
  
"Damn! How does he always do that," thought Ranma. "How did you. "  
  
"Know? Well that is simple, Funaho told me." Katsuhito smirked at one-upping someone once again. "So what do you wish to speak with me about?"  
  
"Washu told me to come get you, she needs your help moving Funaho."  
  
Katsuhito was appalled and he jumped to a standing position, "Doesn't Washu know that she will kill Funaho if she moves her?"  
  
"Not right now it won't, Tsunami told me that we can move her safety."  
  
Katsuhito was happy, the one thing that he regretted about allowing Tenchi to release Ryoko was that one day Tenchi would give her all of the gems in the Master Key. While he didn't mind growing old, he didn't want his tree to suffer because of it. "This is definitely good news. I will go talk to Washu. That is if you have nothing else to tell me?"  
  
Ranma shook his head, "Nope, I got nothing else to say."  
  
Since Ranma didn't have anything to tell him Katsuhito left the office in a dead run. He wanted to make sure that his friend had the best possible care.  
  
Ranma followed Katsuhito out of the shrine at a much more sedate pace. When he got outside he saw Tenchi standing with a bewildered expression on his face, "Hey Tenchi, what are you doing?"  
  
"Ranma, grandpa just ran past, is there something wrong."  
  
Ranma shook his head and waved aside Tenchi's concern. "Na, I just told him Washu needed to talk to him and he got excited on his own."  
  
"Oh, ok," Tenchi pondered on that for a few seconds. He then remembered that Ranma said he wanted to tell him something. "You wanted to talk to me?"  
  
"You're right, I do, watch this." Ranma put his right arm out in front of him with his palm facing Tenchi. Ranma looked inside himself to the place where his Light Hawk power resides. When he found what he was looking for, Ranma touched the power and called it forth. In response to his call the runes that adorned his forehead in Tsunami's realm reappeared and a glowing blue Light Hawk Wing came to existence in front of his hand.  
  
When Tenchi saw the runes and wing appear he was in shock. He had tried everything he could think of for a year to try and make his own wings appear. And here Ranma does it in two months and he makes it look as easy as lifting your arm. "How?!"  
  
Ranma dropped his arm and let the wing disappear but he still held onto the power. "Easy, Tsunami told me how. "  
  
Tenchi was confused, she told Ranma how to use them outside of danger and yet she didn't tell him. "Then why didn't she tell me?"  
  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders, "She said something about telling you was against the rules."  
  
"So does that mean you can't tell me either."  
  
"Now I didn't say that. She just said she couldn't tell you, there's nothing wrong with me telling you."  
  
Tenchi was excited, he was finally going to use those wings in time other than life or death situations. "Well don't just stand there, spit it out man."  
  
"She said that use the wing's power you need to have both a calm mind and soul. For me that meant that I needed to get rid of my fear of cats. You need to tell Ryoko and Ayeka how you feel about them."  
  
Tenchi's heart grew cold. "Oh god, not that, anything but that," he though in despair. "Well thanks for telling me how to use the wings Ranma but I guess I'll never be able to use them."  
  
"Why not," asked Ranma. He could see how much they love each other so why wouldn't he tell them his feelings. Which was a pretty ironic observation coming from Ranma, since he was incapable of seeing his own predicament.  
  
"I can't tell them that I love and need them both, it'll destroy them. They are just now getting nice to each other, they would never go for a three way relationship."  
  
Ranma placed his hand on Tenchi's shoulder, "Tell them. You might surprised with what they say." With that he headed off to find Mihoshi and tell her the good news.  
  
"Tell them he says. This coming from the guy with three fiancés. But if it is the only way I can protect even one of them then I've got to tell them. I just hope they don't hate me for doing this to them." With his course decided, Tenchi headed towards the house like a man about to be executed. As he walked down the long stairs to his home, Tenchi reflected on his two loves and hoped that memories would not be the only thing that he would have of them when this was over.  
  
Ten minutes after starting his walk down the shrine steps he reached the front door of his home. He stood there for a few moments to steel himself for the coming discussion. When he felt that he was as ready as he could be, Tenchi slid open the door and walked inside. When Tenchi entered the living room his heart dropped, Ryoko and Ayeka were sitting far apart from each other on the couch. Their clothes and hair were disheveled, their faces were flushed, and they were breathing hard. The only conclusion that Tenchi could draw from this was that they had been fighting and it made what he was about to tell them that much harder. He sat on the couch opposite from the one the girls were sitting on, "Ryoko, Ayeka, there is something that I have to tell you. But because of what you were just doing I don't know how you're going to take it."  
  
Ryoko looked shocked and embarrassed, "You know what we were doing."  
  
Tenchi sighed, "Of course I know, I'm not blind you know. And seeing you like this," he gestured to there disheveled appearance, "makes what I have to say hurt even more."  
  
"If what you have to say hurts you, you don't have to tell us," replied a suddenly pale Ayeka.  
  
Tenchi weakly smiled at her, "Thanks Ayeka, but I got to say this." Tenchi inhaled deeply, "Ryoko, Ayeka, I love you both very much. I know you . . " Tenchi couldn't finish because he was tackled by two crying women.  
  
*********  
  
When Ryoko heard Tenchi coming in the house she quickly disentangled herself from Ayeka and tried to get her clothes in some semblance of order. As she did this she mouthed, "Tenchi," to Ayeka who also rushed to get her clothes in order. Right before Tenchi came in to the room Ryoko was sitting on the opposite side of the couch from Ayeka. As Tenchi sat across from them Ryoko could tell that he was depressed about something. When he started to talk Ryoko got worried and when he revealed that he knew what they were it doing shocked her. "You know what we were doing."  
  
"Of course I know, I'm not blind you know. And seeing you like this makes what I have to say hurt even more."  
  
At hearing that Ryoko's worry turned to fear, "He doesn't approve of us!" While she was upset at this fact, what terrified her was how would Ayeka react to this news. In her terror she was bombarded by visions of Ayeka dumping her to go marry Tenchi and moving to Jurai. Her fears were only confirmed when Ryoko saw Ayeka's pale expression. Ryoko's terror was so great that she didn't even hear what Ayeka said though she was looking right at her. She was brought back to the conversation at hand when Tenchi said her name.  
  
"Ryoko, Ayeka, I love you both very much." When Ryoko heard those words that she had longed to hear from her love, she was ecstatic. He loved her! And Ayeka too! Ryoko was so happy that the only thing she could do to express this feeling was to tackle Tenchi. As she was hugging him she felt someone else also hugging him. So she turned her head and saw that Ayeka was also hugging Tenchi, the smile that graced her features was just as manic as Ryoko's.  
  
*********  
  
Ayeka was happy at the moment, Ryoko was kissing her passionately and the way Ryoko tweaked her nipple set chills down her spine. But when Ryoko abruptly detached herself from her Ayeka's pleasure became confusion and slight annoyance at having Ryoko stop what she was doing. When she looked up at Ryoko to see why she stopped what they were doing.  
  
Ryoko mouthed, "Tenchi"  
  
When Ayeka saw that she was thrown into a panic. Tenchi! He wasn't supposed to be back yet. Deciding that it is a mute point since he was here now, Ayeka jumped up and began to straighten out her clothes as well. She was back on the couch panting, both from their prior "activities" and the rushed dressing, by the time Tenchi entered the room. When she heard that he knew what Ryoko and her were doing she grew afraid. She knew that he was going to tell them that he didn't like them. For a split second, the small part of her that was still mired in royal politics said, "Dump Ryoko! Then Tenchi will love you." But the rest of her quashed that thought and in her shame she couldn't look at Ryoko and give her a sign of her continuing love. When Tenchi said that what he had to say was hurting him Ayeka tried to stop him before he could crush her and Ryoko. "If what you have to say hurts you, you don't have to tell us." But her efforts had no effect on the inevitable conclusion of their little soap opera.  
  
"Thanks Ayeka, but I got to say this. Ryoko, Ayeka, I love you both very much."  
  
When Ayeka heard those three little words from her beloved her heart soared. And when she heard that he also loved Ryoko her soaring heart went straight into warp drive. "Now we can be a family," thought Ayeka. She then decided to throw decorum and manners out the window and she took a page out of Ryoko's book, she tackled Tenchi.  
  
*********  
  
As Tenchi lay there being held by the women he loves the only thought on his mind was, "Huh." He could understand the crying bit but why were they smiling and kissing him? "Ryoko, Ayeka, why are you so happy? I said that I love both of you."  
  
Ryoko pulled away a little bit so she could talk to Tenchi. "We know, now we can be together," she was so happy that she was almost singing what she said.  
  
"Together? I don't understand. I thought the two of you hated each other?" Tenchi was very confused, first they were fighting and now they WANT to be together?  
  
Ayeka took this part of the conversation. "At first we did. But over time Ryoko and I started developing feelings for each other. Ryoko confronted me about this and got me to admit to loving her in addition to the love that I feel for you. Since then we have been a couple while waiting for you to come to your senses and tell us what you just did."  
  
Tenchi was even more confused. They love me AND each other. "If you love each other then why were you two fighting."  
  
Now it was Ryoko and Ayeka's turn to look confused. They each racked their brains to figure out what he was talking about. When they couldn't figure it out on their own they looked to the other to see if maybe she had come up with something. Seeing that neither had a clue about what Tenchi was talking about they faced him, and at the same time said, "What?"  
  
Tenchi sighed, "You were fighting before I came in here. It's nice of you to try to cover it up, but your messed up clothes says that you were fighting."  
  
At that Ayeka and Ryoko started to laugh. When Ryoko saw that Tenchi wasn't laughing she calmed down a little to explain to him why their clothes were messed up. "Tenchi, we weren't fighting, we were making out. That's why we're laughing."  
  
"Making out! Really?" At seeing their nod Tenchi said, "Well I feel stupid." He then asked something completely out of character for him, "Can I join in?"  
  
For a few seconds Ryoko and Ayeka were shocked at Tenchi's request. But soon there shocked expressions gave way to sly grins.  
  
"Well I don't know. What do you think Ayeka."  
  
"I agree it is a difficult decision, perhaps we should go and think about it."  
  
Ryoko nodded sagely, "Yes lets." With that Ryoko and Ayeka jumped off Tenchi and ran away all the while giggling like maniacs.  
  
Tenchi lay there for several seconds and pondered what just went on. He then jumped up and said, "Hey wait for me!"  
  
*********  
  
Whap! A branch hit Ranma in the face. "Ow! Damn that hurt," he grumbled as he rubbed his nose. "Why's she so far out here?" Ranma had looked everywhere for Mihoshi, he had even tried Yukinojo but she wasn't there either. Since he couldn't find her by regular means, Ranma tried his newly expanded senses. When he did that he was able to pick up a faint trace of her from the other side of the lake. He headed that way to see if she was ok and to tell her about gaining mastery of the Neko-Ken.  
  
When Ranma found her she was kneeling in a small clearing. In front of Mihoshi sat a small shrine with some incense burning in it. Not wanting to disturb her, and yet unwilling to leave, Ranma silently waited for Mihoshi to finish what she was doing.  
  
After several minutes Mihoshi touched her head to the ground, as she came back up she blew out the incense and shut the shrine. She then stood up and placed her shoes back on her feet. As she was leaving the clearing she saw Ranma silently standing there watching her. She was shocked, not only had Ranma been able to find her but he was able to sneak up on her undetected. If there was one thing that Mihoshi prided herself above anything else was her exceptional hearing. That was why she loved living at the Masaki home, for the most part it was quiet and ever since Ryoko and Ayeka started using the training room for their fights it has been down right peaceful. So Ranma being able to sneak up on her really surprised her. "Ranma! What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well I went looking for you to tell you something and when I couldn't find you I got worried. So, what were you doing."  
  
When Mihoshi heard that Ranma was worried about her she smiled. He had just shown that her decision had been a correct one. She then turned to the shrine that sat in the clearing and said "Saying goodbye to someone I loved."  
  
Hearing that really peaked Ranma's interest. "Oh really, who?"  
  
Mihoshi turned her head to look back at Ranma. "Follow me." With that she started off in a direction that would take her further into the forest.  
  
"Geez," thought Ranma, "what is it with every one tellin' me to follow them." Despite his mental grousing Ranma still followed Mihoshi into the woods.  
  
After about ten minutes of walking the pair came up on another clearing. Unlike the other clearing, this one had several large boulders jutting up from the ground. It also didn't look as cleared out as the last one.  
  
When Mihoshi entered the clearing she immediately headed towards one of the boulders. Once she reached it she sat down on the boulder and motioned for Ranma to join her. When Ranma sat beside her Mihoshi said, "What I'm about to tell you stays between us. If I want the others to know I'll tell them, ok."  
  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah sure, I can keep a secret."  
  
"Thank you." She then thought about where to start her story. After a minute she decided to start from the beginning. "When I was in school on my world I didn't really fit in. I was clumsy and while my grades were high I came off as not being very bright outside of situations where my knowledge would come in handy. Because of this the children in my class called me slow and stupid. When I reached puberty I became even more miserable. I was always more "developed" than the other girls in my grade so consequently guys hit on me all the time. They thought that since I was stupid and beautiful I would gladly spread my legs for them. When I didn't, they just told their friends that I did, this caused me to have a reputation of being a slut. The girls thought I was trying to steal their boyfriends so they added to the rumors about me. Luckily I had one or two friends that saw past all the rumor and innuendo and treated me like a person. If it wasn't for them I might not be here to talk to you." She stopped to catch her breath and regain her composure.  
  
Seeing that telling his this was really hurting Mihoshi, Ranma said, "You don't have to tell me this. I can see how much this is hurting you." Ranma really didn't like to cause anyone to experience this kind of pain.  
  
With unshed tears in her eyes, Mihoshi shook her head. "No, I want you to know this." "I need you to know this," thought Mihoshi.  
  
"When I finally graduated I didn't have any doubts about what I wanted to do. I have never liked bullies of any kind so I joined the Galaxy Police to protect people. On the first day I saw a woman with long dark blue hair who about my age talking to no one and looking depressed, so I went over to talk to her. When I reached her she introduced herself as Kiyone Mabiki. Her face was beautiful and yet I could see that she had a past at least as painful as my own. On her head she wore an orange headband, she wore it all the time, which was something that our superiors always hated. Later on I found out that she wore it to cover a scar that her father gave her. You see Kiyone was what you would call a lesbian, and her father was a very traditional man, so when he found out about her "unnatural" preference he beat her.  
  
Well, Kiyone and I got to talking and by the end of the day we became good friends. That friendship transferred over to our work and over the next two years we were the highest-ranking cadets in our class. We did so well that we were rewarded with our own patrol ship, the Yagami. Besides graduating with honors Kiyone and I were very deeply in love and to celebrate our graduation and assignment Kiyone introduced me to the joys of physical love."  
  
At hearing that Mihoshi had a relationship with a woman, Ranma's heart dropped. "So you're a lesbian too," he said morosely.  
  
Mihoshi smiled and shook her head, "No I'm not a lesbian, I'm by. I enjoy a good looking guy as much as the next girl." She placed her hand n top of Ranma's, "It just means that I like good looking girls too, and that I'm more open to "odd" relationships."  
  
At that, hope reappeared in Ranma's being, "Does this mean..."  
  
He was silenced by Mihoshi's finger upon his lips. "Shh. I'm not done yet." She then removed her finger and looked off into the distance. "Kiyone and I were some of the best detectives that the Galaxy Police had. Between her street smarts and my book smarts there was no criminal that we couldn't catch. Ah, those were the good old days, just me and Kiyone against the scum of the universe. You wouldn't believe some of the wonders that we saw, and the best thing about them all is that I could see them with Kiyone.  
  
But with everything our good times came to an end. On our final assignment we were chasing a criminal more evil and disgusting than Kagato could ever be. Among the GP he was known as Zander the butcher, though he only went by the name Zander. He would travel the space lanes and prey upon innocent ships. When he boarded a ship he would tie up everyone on board and then he would rape and kill the women in front of the men, the younger the better. Then after the women were killed he would kill the men in brutal ways. After he murdered the crew he would ransack the ship for anything that was remotely valuable. One GP patrol cruiser came across a ship he had attacked, and when they boarded they were horrified at the carnage that they saw. Women who had been raped and then cut open from chin to groin. Men who had been skinned alive and then nailed to the ship's bulkheads. While he was never as wanted as Kagato, that was only because he never did enough property damage, but as far as most officers were concerned, Zander was a priority kill.  
  
One day while we were on patrol Kiyone spotted Zander's ship and we chased after him. We called for back up but the nearest ship was two days away. We chased him for hours, we would get a hit in then he would shoot back. Eventually he was able to knock out our weapons, so Kiyone rammed the Yagami into his ship. We got into space suits, activated the Yagami's locator beacon, and boarded his ship. He played with us for two hours, firing shots at us from where we would least expect him to be. After two hours we were able to trap him in his cargo hold. As I was going to cuff him, he pulled a gun, Kiyone yelled for me to duck and shot him. But unfortunately as he was falling back he was able to shoot Kiyone in the chest. She died in my arms, in her last moments the only thing on her mind was if I was safe, and then she was gone." Mihoshi was now crying as she relived that horrible day.  
  
Ranma placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. "Shh, I'm here. Take your time."  
  
They sat there for several minutes as Mihoshi tried to get control of her emotions. From her place against Ranma, Mihoshi continued her story. "Two days later the back up we sent for showed up, but by the time they arrived the woman that had loved Kiyone was long dead. In her place was a bumbling air head that couldn't walk without causing damage to something. When I arrived back at headquarters I got commendations and they gave me Yukinojo to replace the destroyed Yagami. Over the next year my reputation among he GP changed from Mihoshi the detective to Mihoshi the walking disaster. Since I wouldn't accept any time off, the higher ups assigned me to a remote patrol zone. One day I received a report that Kagato was nearby, and I knew that was my chance to join my love in the afterlife. So I rushed headlong towards the third planet in the Solar System, and when I got there I was nearly killed by a black hole. But a nice man named Tenchi rescued me and offered to let me live with him and the other girls that lived with him.  
  
So for the next two years I lived and fought with them. Living here has been one of the best experiences of my life. Sure, I get yelled at on occasion, but in general they have treated me with kindness and respect. Even though I was happy, there was no reason for me to change back to the Mihoshi I was before Kiyone died. Then one day I found a man laying on the ground unconscious, I bumbled my way through rescuing him and I almost killed him. Over the next few days I thought over what I had done and came to a conclusion, I had to kill the bumbling idiot and revive Mihoshi, star Galaxy Police detective. It has been a slow process but I am well on my way to achieving that goal.  
  
Later on, the man I found got better and forgave me for what I had done. For some reason I was immediately attracted to him. That really confused me, I had seen attractive men in the past, I had even seen Tenchi naked, and none of them made me aroused as he could. When I saw his female form, a part of me thanked the gods for delivering this vision of beauty to me. Yet, while I was attracted to the man, a part of me still stayed true to the memory of my dear Kiyone. Over the next few months the man trained me in his art and the desire I felt for him only grew, but as my desire grew something else began to happen, I started to love him. For awhile, my two sides battled over each other, I loved the man and yet my love for Kiyone remained. So I went to the person that I knew would set me on the right path, Kiyone. I boarded Yukinojo and did something I should have done along time ago, go through Kiyone's stuff. When I opened Kiyone's journal I found a letter to me. It had been written the day before she died, I guess she felt something and wrote it. In the letter she told me to keep going and if she saw me in the afterlife before my time she would never talk to me again. She also said that if she died she wanted me to find someone else and be happy. So I am going to do what she said and live my life to the fullest." She then took Ranma's hands in her own and looked into his eyes, "Ranma, I love you. I know you have fiancés waiting for you back in Nerima and I don't want to add to your problems, I just wanted to say . . ." Mihoshi couldn't say anything else due the fact that Ranma was giving her a very passionate kiss. When their lips parted all Mihoshi could say was, "Thank you."  
  
Ranma smiled at her, "Mihoshi, now that I can control the Neko-Ken, I have to go back to Nerima. I would like you to come with me as my girlfriend."  
  
Mihoshi pouted, "What, not as a fiancé?"  
  
Ranma shook his head, "No I've done that and it didn't work out. I've never had a girlfriend. Yes, I do love you a lot, but I don't think I'll ever have a fiancé again. Wife yes, fiancé, no."  
  
"Does that mean you want to get married," Mihoshi asked excitedly.  
  
Ranma shook his head, "Not right now." He then took Mihoshi's hand in his own, "For now I want to just try this," he squeezed Mihoshi's hand, "out for now. Later, after we know each other better, then we can get married. If that is what you want." By the time he was finished the confidence that he had at the beginning of what he was saying.  
  
Mihoshi nodded her head and smiled, not a vapid smile that says, "Look at me. I'm a Idiot." No, her smile was large and radiant, and it lit up Ranma's world. "That's fine with me. I just want to be with you."  
  
While Ranma was awed by Mihoshi's smile, he was also getting uncomfortable with the mushiness level and wanted to tone it down somehow. After a few seconds a wicked gleam formed in his eyes and his most suave and debonair voice he said, "Mihoshi, close your eyes."  
  
Knowing that Ranma wanted to kiss her again, Mihoshi gleefully shut her eyes and tilted her head. She waited a few seconds and then she felt Ranma's breath wash across her face. But it wasn't a kiss that graced her lips, no, she felt Ranma tap her on the nose and the whoosh of him jumping away from her. When she opened her eyes she saw Ranma standing ten feet away from her with a playful grin on his face.  
  
"Tag. You're it." With that he ran off towards the house, laughing all the way.  
  
Mihoshi sat on the rock for a few seconds looking at the spot Ranma had just vacated. "Why that. Grr. COME BACK HERE, RANMA." She then ran after her newly acquired boyfriend, a grin to match Ranma's was on her face.  
  
*********  
  
At the Masaki home the front door opened and a very wet, unhappy Ranma trudged in followed by a laughing Mihoshi. "Quiet you," grumbled the still male Ranma.  
  
Mihoshi put her arms around her grumpy boyfriend. "Come on, you've got to admit, that was funny. The great martial artist, Ranma Saotome slipping on some slime and falling face first into the lake is funny. Especially that sound you made when you hit the water, Splat! Ha!"  
  
By the time she was finished Ranma was chuckling along with her. They stood there laughing and basking in each other's presence until they heard someone clear their throat. But instead of jumping away from Mihoshi like he would have if he was in Nerima, Ranma simply moved her so that his arm was around her waist and they were both looking at the one who interrupted. They turned to see who coughed and saw Ryoko floating there with a sly grin.  
  
Before Ryoko could start talking Ranma began talking to her. "Hey Ryoko, could you get everybody and tell them to meet me in the living room. I've got some things I need to say."  
  
Ryoko shrugged her shoulders, "Sure." She then teleported away to retrieve the rest of the family.  
  
After Ryoko left, Ranma turned to Mihoshi. "I'm going upstairs to get out of these wet clothes, ok."  
  
Mihoshi released herself from Ranma. "Ok, I'll be waiting for you in there," she replied as she pointed to the living room.  
  
Before the couple departed each other's company they shared a brief kiss then headed off to their respective locations.  
  
*********  
  
On the royal throne of the Juraian Empire sat Azusa Masaki. Azusa had sat on the throne for many millennia, and in his time his people have called him a just and wise ruler. In his life he had fought in many battles and no one could accuse him of fearing man nor beast. But there was something in this cosmos that could send chills down his spin and freeze his very soul, his wives.  
  
Currently his wives Funaho and Misaki, Captain of the Royal Guards, were hashing out the final details of THEIR vacation to Earth. Unlike their previous visit to the insignificant orb, the wives have planned a multi-week trip. The one detail of their planning that really bothered Azusa was that, despite his wishes, his wives told him that he was coming along. Misaki had rationalized this leave of absence by saying that he needed a vacation. On the other hand, Funaho had told him that if he didn't go then he would be sleeping on the 'shudder' couch for the next two years. Now while this may seem harsh to some, to a member of the Juraian royal family who have lifespans that measure in the ten of thousands of years, two years seem like two weeks.  
  
As his wives were hashing out the details, Azusa was trapped in his throne. So he was forced to sit there as they decided what kind of bathing suits they would bring and where they would go. Occasionally one of his wives would ask his opinion on something and Azusa would answer in the way that all males answer their significant others, "Whatever you want dear," OR, "that looks great on you."  
  
As Azusa sat in his throne he was bored out of his skull. He was so bored that his higher brain functions had shut down and his mind slipped into shopping mode. When Azusa saw a glowing red circle appear on the throne room door it was a welcome distraction. After two seconds of watching the circle it violently exploded. Immediately after the explosion Azusa bolted out of his chair. By the time he was standing the throne room guards had surrounded him and Misaki was in front of him, all ready to protect their emperor. When the smoke from the explosion had cleared Azusa saw a head poking out of the hole in the door. The person's face was pale and evil.  
  
"Was I interrupting something? Good." The head retreated from the door and a few seconds later the door was blown off it's hinges. Out of the smoke stepped a man in black pants, a red shirt, and a black jacket.  
  
As the man walked towards the throne Azusa pushed his way through the guards. "What is the meaning of this," he bellowed.  
  
"Why I'm here to take you into custody in the name of Lady Tokimi."  
  
"Arrest me? Who." He stopped as Misaki flew past him towards the unknown man.  
  
As Misaki was about to punch the man he grabbed her by the neck and brought her face close to his own. "Now that isn't becoming behavior for an empress. You should be ashamed for yourself." With that he punched her in the stomach and then threw her at Azusa.  
  
Azusa caught his wife with a grunt. He looked down and asked her if she was all right but all he got from her was a groan. He then glared at the man. "You bastard, who are you and what gives you the right to come here and hurt my wife?!"  
  
The man staggered back and clutched his heart. "Bastard? Oh how you wound me." He then stood up straight and stared walking towards Azusa once more. "My name is Zander. And my lady gives me the right to be here." Zander walked several more steps and then he was stopped by ten Light Hawk Wings. After he stopped, Tsunami appeared on the other side of the wings. "YOU," Zander snarled.  
  
Azusa was in awe, never in his life had he seen all ten Light Hawk Wings. When his goddess appeared he almost bowed to her, it was only the fact that he was holding his wife and the situation in general that kept him from doing so.  
  
*********  
  
Tsunami knew what would happen when she granted Ranma the ability to use his wing and had been waiting for Tokimi to do something. If there was one thing about her sister that remained constant since before they came to this universe it was that she had a wicked temper. Before the crossing Tokimi was a very nice women but beware, if you ever got her angry there would be hell to pay. Now though, all that remained was her temper. To Tsunami, it seemed as if when her followers died, so too did her heart. Knowing her sister like she did, it came as no surprise that Tokimi sent her knight to attack Jurai. All she had to do was to make sure the emperor and his wives were safe and on their way to Earth.  
  
While still keeping her barrier up Tsunami turned her head to face Azusa. "Go. Run. Find Tenchi, he can save us all." With that she used a portion of her power to send Azusa and his entourage to the imperial flagship, also known as the Throne.  
  
*********  
  
In the middle of the Throne's command deck twenty people materialized. As soon as he regained his bearings Azusa immediately liked up o the Throne's tree and asked it to transport them to Earth as quickly as possible. Though running to some backwater planet to get some boy's help rubbed him the wrong way, Azusa was obliged to follow his goddess' commands.  
  
The Throne, sensing Azusa's need, called upon all the power not reserved for life support and opened a subspace portal to Earth.  
  
*********  
  
Back on Jurai when Tsunami felt that Azusa and his family were out of harms way she lowered her wings and waited for the inevitable.  
  
When Tsunami lowered her defenses, Zander ceased his assault and knelled. He did not do this out of respect for Tsunami. No, he kneeled because he could feel that his lady would make her presence known. He was still indebted to her, after those GP bitches left him for dead Tokimi came to him and offered him power in exchange for his eternal servitude. Zander felt that her offer was a fair one and accepted, besides, it was either work for her or die.  
  
High above Jurai, far beyond the range of the defense rings, a huge golden structure appeared. Tokimi had arrived in the Jurai system.  
  
From inside the hall Tokimi look down on the planet. Her first instinct was to atomize it, but she quickly realized that it wasn't the Juraians fault for worshipping Tsunami. Tokimi knew that as soon as they saw the glory that was her they would beg to be her followers. She then called out to her knight, "Zander, bring Tsunami to me."  
  
On the platform before Tokimi, Zander and his captive Tsunami appeared. Zander went down on one knee, Tsunami stared defiantly at her sister.  
  
With his head still down, Zander gestured to Tsunami. "My lady, I present your sister Tsunami."  
  
"Very good Zander, you have done well. Now leave my sister and I alone for a while, we have much catching up to do."  
  
"As you wish my lady." Zander then teleported away to prepare for the halls arrival on the planet.  
  
Back in the hall Tokimi lowered herself down so that she was standing eye to eye with Tsunami. She walked around her sister, trying to see if she looked any different. Once she made one complete circuit around her sister, Tokimi finally addressed Tsunami. "Tsunami, Tsunami, why did you break our rules and give that boy our power?"  
  
Tsunami stared defiantly at her sister, "To stop you and hopefully get you back to the way you were."  
  
Tokimi hissed and stepped back as if Tsunami's words had hurt her. "The way I was? You want me to be weak again? Well that will never happen again, I'll remain as I am, strong. And through that strength I will keep what happened to our home from ever occurring again!"  
  
Tsunami shook her head, "Listen to yourself. The brothers were not strong enough to stop Melcor, how do you think that you ever will be?"  
  
"Power isn't needed to beat Melcor, unity is. By having all of this universe under my banner we shall surely defeat him."  
  
Tsunami sadly shook her head. "I see that it is pointless to try to argue with you so I will just stand here."  
  
An evil smile formed on Tokimi's face. "Oh you will be doing more than standing." Tokimi snapped her fingers and a table appeared behind Tsunami and latched it self onto the blue hared goddess. Tokimi leaned in until her face was almost touching Tsunami's, "You will be learning." With that energy started arcing across Tsunami's body causing her to scream in agony.  
  
*********  
  
In the Masaki living room all the residents were gathered to listen to an announcement that Ranma had to make. All the residents were seated in the same locations as they were when Ranma first talked to them. The main difference between this time and the last was that Ryoko, Tenchi, and Ayeka were cuddling and that Ranma and Mihoshi were holding hands.  
  
Though he didn't stand up or remove his hand from Mihoshi's, Ranma did sit up straight when he started to address the assembled group. "Guys, I got to leave." Ranma expected a large response from this statement but it never came. Seeing that no one was going to try to convince him to say, even Sasami, Ranma's heart fell. "I made a promise to some people in Nerima and now that I can control the Neko-Ken I got to keep it. Mihoshi is coming with me so I can show her to my mother and to help me break my engagements. You guys can come if you want but I'll understand if you don't."  
  
Tenchi leaned forward and detached himself from Ryoko and Ayeka. "I can only speak for myself but I would happy to come along with you."  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka looked at each other for a second then nodded. They then looked at Ranma and said, "We're going too."  
  
Though she seemed out of it Sasami also volunteered to go. But as Washu was about to say that she was also going, Sasami screamed and went into convulsions. Immediately, the entire group was around her trying to help the girl. Washu was the fastest in getting to her and was already taking Sasami's vital when the others reached her. After several seconds the convulsions slowed and Sasami moaned, "Tokimi," then went completely silent.  
  
As Sasami started convulsing and everyone went to help her something happened to Katsuhito. His body shimmered and in his place stood a much younger man. Yosho's disguise field dropped and his secret was exposed.  
  
When Washu heard Sasami call out that name her eyes rolled back and all of her voluntary muscles lock. As she fell backwards Yosho tried to catch her, but just as he was about to touch her she disappeared in a burst of white light.  
  
When Washu disappeared, the chaos that Sasami had created only increased. Ranma and Tenchi were trying to get their girlfriends under control when the senses granted to them by the Light Hawk Wings told them that something was going on outside. At the same time Mihoshi's watch began to go haywire. Since Sasami's convulsions had stopped, Tenchi was pissed at his grandfather for lying to them, and there was nothing they could do for Washu, Ranma and Tenchi decided to check on the disturbance outside. When they got outside they were joined by Mihoshi with her GP issue sidearm drawn and ready to fire. At first the trio saw nothing out of the ordinary, then a swirling blue portal opened above them. Tenchi and Mihoshi immediately recognized it as the same created by the Juraian imperial flagship. When the flagship exited the portal it didn't close the same way it opened, instead of irising shut, the portal fizzled out. The ship didn't just float there either, it slowly drifted towards the lake. As it was falling a group of people materialized on the dock.  
  
When the group appeared on the dock and Ranma saw all of the tree weapons that they were carrying, he slipped into a combat stance. He calmed down when Tenchi started walking towards the group. Ranma stepped over to Mihoshi, "Who are they?"  
  
"The man in the middle is Azusa, the Emperor of Jurai. The woman with the black hair is his wife Funaho. I don't see his other wife Misaki though."  
  
It was then that Tenchi yelled back to them. "Mihoshi, get some help! Misaki is hurt."  
  
Mihoshi ran inside to get some help and supplies. Ranma ran up to Tenchi to see if he could provide any aid. "What's wrong? Why're they here?"  
  
Tenchi looked at Ranma grimly, "Jurai has been invaded."  
  
*********  
  
In an endless white expanse floated the scientist Washu. Her nude adult body lazily floated in a fetal position through the expanse. If her body was still then her mind was traveling at warp speed. As she was floating there, her consciousness was being bombarded with memories. Some, like the ones from the last twenty thousand years, were familiar, the memories of the billion years before that were new and strange. Yet, despite this strangeness, they seemed real and welcome. Even the memories of her followers' destruction were welcome because they helped to answer her question. A question that has plagued her since she descended and became Washu, scientist, who was she and why was she here. Now, for the first time, she knew, she was Washu Goddess of Knowledge, the greatest scientific genius in the universe, sister to Tsunami and Tokimi, and mother of Ryoko. For the first time in her long existence Washu felt complete and this brought to her such joy that she was silently crying. Soon Washu's re- expanded senses heralded the coming of a large power. She opened her eyes and straitened herself out so that she could get a better look at a spot of white that was more intense than the rest of the space.  
  
The white grew brighter and brighter until it coalesced into the shape of a person. The light then burst and its place stood a man. He was six two and had short blond hair. The man's face was kind and gentle. His deep blue eyes gleamed with wisdom and to Washu's eyes they gave off a faint glow. He was wearing a white polo shirt tucked into black dress pants. Over the shirt he wore a waist-length denim jacket. The man's brown shoes were planted firmly to a nonexistent floor. He looked at Washu and gave her a smile that was full of love. The love that he was expressing was not the kind of love that is expressed between lovers, but the kind felt between father and daughter, or brother and sister. "Hello Washu. It's been along time."  
  
Washu was shocked, now that she had all her memories she knew who this man was. She also knew that she shouldn't be able to remember him. "YOU! What are you doing here, and why do I even remember you. I locked all of my memories into the gems."  
  
The man shook his head, "Oh Washu. For the Goddess of Knowledge you still don't understand the nature of the wings' power. Yes, you put all of your memories and power into the gems but they don't contain everything that makes you a goddess. You still have the soul of a goddess. It was your soul that kept your memories alive, but buried. It was your soul that has been gathering energy so that your powers could return."  
  
Washu looked at him as if he were crazy, "My soul? If it was doing what you said, why do I only just now have my old memories.?"  
  
"It took some time for you to gather enough energy to break through all the mental barriers you had set up. After you had enough energy, you still needed something to trigger your memories. Tsunami wouldn't work because everyone knows about her, it had to be one of us that your other self had never heard of before. When your memories started coming back I brought you here to experience them in peace and to tell you something."  
  
"What do you want tell me?"  
  
"That boy, Ranma, keep an eye on him. He wields phenomenal power."  
  
"You mean the Light Hawk Wings," asked Washu in confusion. How could a man that wields twenty wings be afraid of Ranma?  
  
The man shook his head, "No, not Light Hawk Wings, something with the potential to be far more powerful. I once met two very powerful sisters, and they warned me of the power Ranma wields. Though they didn't have a name for that power, they showed me what the energy pattern would look like. They also told me that human souls are the only ones that can tap this power. So for years I have watched the world you now live on and I saw many men using that power. At first I was worried, then I looked into their souls and saw the light of goodness in each. Eventually, only one used the power but he had to be feral to do so."  
  
"You mean Ranma," asked Washu. It was a rhetorical question but she needed to know if she was on the right track. For if she was that would mean that in gaining control of the Neko-Ken, Ranma inadvertently tapped into a power that would give pause to even the most powerful of gods.  
  
"Yes, Ranma. I have watched that boy for sometime, and I have seen Tokimi's meddling in his life. But every time I tried to stop her, something else had already acted. It seems we are not the only ones with interest in Ranma. So, as I said, watch him, and be sure he stays in the light."  
  
Washu nodded her head, "Sure I will. Now how do I get back?"  
  
"I'll send you."  
  
Washu felt herself leaving the white expanse. Before she was completely gone she heard the man call out, "Washu! Great breasts!"  
  
In the Masaki living room everyone was startled when Washu appeared grumbling about perverts who don't remind her she was naked. They were also weirded out by Washu's outfit. She was wearing puffy purple pants, a long sleeved purple blouse. Around her waist she wore a wide belt with a "W" shaped belt buckle. The blouse's neck was low cut, giving anyone who looked at her a peak at her more prominent assets. Attached to the blouse's shoulders were large green gems in the shape of cats eyes, and attached to these was a thin golden bar that extended half the distance from the gem and the top of her head. The bar then circled the back of her head and descended to the other gem.  
  
After several seconds of grumbling Washu glanced down at her attire and decided that her goddess robes were inappropriate for her current self. She switched to the clothes that she was wearing before her memories and found that it too was unsatisfactory. Washu closed her eyes and while focusing her power she set out to form the perfect outfit for herself. The red vest that she was wearing morphed into an elegant red lab coat with a collar that enclosed a third of her head. The legs of the pale green shorts that she was wearing slid downwards to form a pair of silky pants. The thin black belt around her waist widened slightly, and on the buckle an ornate "W" appeared. Her blouse remained unchanged but it was joined by a light brown vest. Around her neck formed a golden chain, and from the chain hung a small, green, cat eye gem. When the changes to her outfit were complete Washu created a mirror in front of her to see how she looked. After a minute of posing Washu said, "Not bad for half power." She then dematerialized the mirror and in it's place she saw the stunned faces of her family, the emperor of Jurai, Funaho, and a half dozen well armed men in armor.  
  
*********  
  
When the news of Jurai's invasion reached the rest of the shrine's occupants, chaos became bedlam.  
  
Ayeka's sanity was near the breaking point. First her darling sister has convulsions then goes unconscious. Next, her brother, the man that she loved for most of her life was exposed as a fraud. Then the person that could help Sasami disappeared in a burst of light. Finally, her father arrives with the news that Jurai was invaded and her mother is severely injured. If it wasn't for her love, Ryoko, staying by her side and offering support, Ayeka would have either passed out or broken down crying.  
  
*********  
  
Though she outwardly looked calm and collected, inside Ryoko was crying. Something had happened to Sasami, the girl she thought of as her little sister. While she wasn't shocked about Yosho she was pissed that he choose this moment to reveal himself. Washu, her mother, was gone, vanished in an explosion of white light. Over the last couple of months she and Washu had been getting closer, it had gotten to the point that Ryoko had stopped thinking of Washu as a pest and started thinking of Washu as her mother. It was Washu that convinced her to take a chance and tell her beloveds of her feelings.  
  
Then, as if Sasami, Yosho, and Washu were not enough, Azusa comes and tells them that Jurai has been taken over. This caused Ryoko to feel something that she loathed, helplessness. All through her time as Kagato's slave that emotion ran through her veins. Ever since Tenchi freed her she has done everything in her power not to feel this way. Yet despite all that, she now feels helpless. Her only comfort was when she had a chance she would make Yosho pay for the pain he inflicted upon her loves.  
  
*********  
  
While Ryoko and Ayeka were looking after Sasami and Misaki, Yosho was talking with his father. "So you say this man blew the throne room doors off its hinges," he asked incredulously. To Yosho the feat seemed impossible, for the throne room doors and their hinges were made out of the strongest metals in the universe. On top of that, the whole assembly had Juraian power running through it to add extra strength.  
  
Azusa grimly nodded, "Yes, after that he just calmly walked into the throne room. Misaki tried to stop him but he punched her in the stomach so hard that she flew twenty feet straight at me. He then told us his name, he said the he was called Zander." He was stopped from any further explanation by a loud clattering noise.  
  
*********  
  
As everyone went about their business, Tenchi stood in the corner silently seething. He was angry because Sasami, and therefore Ayeka, was in pain and there was nothing that he could do to alleviate it. He was angry that Washu was gone for three reasons: first, with her gone there is no-one to look after Sasami and Misaki, second, Ryoko was hurting because her mother disappeared, third, from the way she looked when she disappeared, Washu didn't leave willingly. He was angry that someone would attack Jurai, while he felt no real attachment to the world he could imagine what horrors the people of Jurai were facing. And the final injustice, the one thing that truly pissed him off was the fact that his grandfather, a man that, in the eyes of Tenchi, had always been a paragon of virtue, had lied to them. This wasn't like the lie of not being Yosho, Tenchi could understand the reasoning behind that decision. But after they found out that he was really Yosho he should have told them everything, not waited until their entire world that they had built was under attack. If he had revealed himself anytime but now Tenchi would have probably forgiven him, but now, there was little room for forgiveness in Tenchi's heart.  
  
*********  
  
While others were talking or comforting each other, Ranma and Mihoshi were going around and making sure that everyone was comfortable. Neither of them were really shook up over the news that Azusa brought. Sure, they were concerned, but there were more pressing issues at hand, such as where they were going to put the twenty people that just arrived. As they scurried around they made sure that the people were fed and cared for. On one trip out of the kitchen Mihoshi was holding a tray of food for the guards that she and Ranma had made. While walking past Yosho and Azusa, Mihoshi happened to overhear the part about the man who attacked Jurai being called Zander. When she heard that Mihoshi's blood ran cold and all the color drained from her face. She was so shocked she dropped the tray she was holding and began to look around wildly. "It just isn't possible," she thought. "I saw Kiyone shoot him, she hit his heart. I even checked him with my cube, he was defiantly dead. I must know what he looked like." With that thought in mind she seized hold of Azusa robes and yelled, "Zander, Zander! What did he look like? Tell me!"  
  
Before Azusa's guards could restrain Mihoshi, Ranma was already pulling his girlfriend off of the stunned emperor. As he tried to calm her down Ranma whispered reassurances into Mihoshi's ear, "Shh, it's all right. It can't be the same guy. You saw him die, remember. Just you wait, he is going to tell us what the guy looked like and it won't be him. Will it," the last was to Mihoshi and Azusa. For the emperor's benefit Ranma also added a glare that said that Azusa better give the right answer or there would be hell to pay.  
  
Azusa received the message loud and clear. And unlike others who talked to him, Ranma actually impressed the gruff man. People always deferred to him because he was the leader, but here was a boy that could give a glare as menacing as the ones that Funaho could dish out. Azusa found himself respecting this boy. He began to describe the man who attacked his home hoping that it would not cause Mihoshi any more pain.  
  
Ranma's words had calmed Mihoshi's fear addled mind down. Unfortunately Azusa's description of the man shattered what little calm she was able to achieve. But instead of hysterics she began to cry into Ranma's shoulder.  
  
Before Ranma could reprimand Azusa for giving Mihoshi more grief a bright flash appeared in the center of the room.  
  
*********  
  
Everyone looked to where the flash occurred and were shocked t see an adult Washu in a purple outfit. Their shock continued as they watched her clothes morph into a new arrangement and she created a mirror. As she was performing these miracles Ranma and Tenchi's Light Hawk senses were going haywire. After the mirror disappeared she looked upon the stunned faces of her family and said, "What?"  
  
Washu was then tackled by two people, Ayeka and Ryoko. Ayeka was asking for Washu's help with her family. Ryoko was holding onto Washu for dear life silent tears were making there way down her face. Washu saw them and opened her link with her daughter, "[Why are you crying my little Ryoko?]"  
  
Ryoko looked into her mother's eyes and spoke over the link. "[I'm just happy that you're ok.]" Ryoko wanted to say more but she wasn't sure how.  
  
Washu smiled at her daughter. She had gotten Ryoko's feelings along with her mind speech. Washu then pried off the two girls and looked at Ayeka, "Why don't we take a look at your family now, ok." When the girl in question nodded her head, Washu walked over to Sasami. She placed her hand over Sasami's head and closed her eyes. After several seconds, Washu removed her hand and sadly shook her head, "Oh my sister. You went too far." Washu walked over to Misaki and performed the some procedure. When she removed her hand she made her holographic keyboard appear in front of her. Washu tapped on the keyboard for several seconds, when she stopped a small black portal opened beside her. She reached inside and pulled out a hypo gun, after checking the gun to make sure that the pressure was correct she pressed it against Misaki's neck. As Washu removed the gun from her patient's neck, Azusa appeared next to her.  
  
"Miss Washu, what is wrong with my darling girl and what was that you gave to my wife?" The only reason that he wasn't going bonkers about Washu injecting Misaki was that Azusa knew Washu's reputation of being able to fix any problem.  
  
"As for Misaki, I just gave her something that would speed up her recovery."  
  
"Yes. And Sasami?"  
  
Washu looked away from the emperor and stood up. "She should regain consciousness in a few minutes." She then looked to the group, "Every one, gather around the table. We have much to discuss."  
  
The guards scurried away from the table so the important people could sit at it. At the head of the table sat Azusa with Funaho sitting on the right next to him. Going down the right side of the table sat Ayeka, Tenchi, and Ryoko. At the end opposite of Azusa and Funaho sat Washu. Along the left side of the table sat Mihoshi, Ranma, and Yosho.  
  
"Ok Washu, we're here now what do you want to say," asked a gruff Ryoko. While she wasn't mad at the scientist, Ryoko still had to cover from her prior emotional outburst.  
  
"First of all, something happened on Jurai and I would like to hear all the details."  
  
Azusa nodded his head, "Very well." He then went on about how Zander attacked the Royal Throne Room, making sure to leave no detail out.  
  
As Azusa gave his rendition on how things happened Washu was watching the group's reactions. Every one behaved in a predictable except Ranma and Mihoshi, their reactions peaked the genius's interest. When Azusa finished, Washu asked the question that every one needed to know, "This Zander, did he have any markings n his forehead?"  
  
"Yes he did. He had black triangles on his forehead. I didn't think much about them before, are they important somehow."  
  
"Before I answer that I have a question for you two," said Washu as she pointed to Ranma and Mihoshi. "You seem to have heard of this Zander person. Who is he."  
  
When Mihoshi heard that she went cold. She didn't want to go through that again. Just telling Ranma was hard enough.  
  
Luckily Ranma sensed his girlfriend's reluctance and asked her. "Do you want me to tell them?" A small nod of her head was the only answer he received. He then turned his attention to Washu. "About two years ago Zander was a wanted man. I'm not going to say what he was wanted, for but let's just say it wasn't because he was good. One day Mihoshi and her partner, Kiyone, found Zander and chased him. It ended with Zander and Kiyone dead. What I want to know is how could he be alive."  
  
While what Ranma said wasn't as detailed as she would like, Washu could hack into the GP mainframe to find out the rest of the information. Before she could answer Ranma's question Tenchi interrupted her.  
  
Her pointed an accusatory finger at Yosho, "What I want to know is why you pick now to show yourself? Couldn't you see that now wasn't the best time?!"  
  
Yosho guiltily looked own to the table. "This, revelation, is not of my choosing. Believe me when I say that if I could I would have revealed my secret at another time. But something has happened to Tsunami and I can no longer utilize my disguise field."  
  
"But why didn't you tell me? You knew how I felt about you," said Ayeka.  
  
"Ayeka, I know this will hurt but I never thought of you as a potential wife. To me you were always a sister. When you arrived on Earth I had already had a family and I didn't want to start a new one. After you discovered who I really was I was tempted to tell you everything but I saw how you were starting to fall for Tenchi and I didn't want to confuse you. Please forgive me."  
  
From where she sat next to Tenchi, Ayeka thought about what her brother said. The only conclusion that she could come to was that he was right in his reasoning. If he had told her any earlier it would have confused her and might have delayed her wondrous relationship with her dual loves. She looked to her brother and saw the guilty look on his face, "Yosho you are correct in your assumptions and I thank you for that. I also thank you for telling the truth when you had to. I forgive you."  
  
Washu smiled at the purple haired princess. "Well if there is no-one else that wants to deal with something let's deal with the current issue, the whys of the invasion of Jurai."  
  
All eyes turned to Tenchi to see if he was going to object. He decided to say nothing more about his grandfather's duplicity since Ayeka forgave him. But as far as Tenchi was concerned it would take Yosho some time to redeem himself. Seeing everyone's eyes upon him Tenchi raised his hands and shook his head.  
  
At seeing that there were no further off topic discussions Washu leaned back and folded her arms under her now more ample bosom. "Good. I assume that everyone here knows that Tsunami is a goddess and that she is very powerful." Everyone at the table gave her a look that said, "Well duh!" "Right. Well what you don't know is that she was only one of the goddesses in this universe. The others, her sisters are still around but they haven't been as open as Tsunami has. Her sisters names are; Tokimi, the goddess of chaos, and Washu, the goddess of knowledge."  
  
At her announcement every one at the table was speech less. Speech less, that is until Ryoko stated her disbelief by bursting into side- splitting laughter. "You a goddess! Ha! If you're tellin' the truth then that means I'm the daughter of a goddess." Ryoko's laughter was brought up short by her mother's voice in her mind. "[You're exactly right, little one.]"  
  
"Yes, I am a goddess and the sister to Tsunami, though I have only now remembered that. You see we are refugees from a destroyed universe. As a great evil that we were unable to defeat was destroying our home, a handful of us escaped to this universe so that we wouldn't be plunged into oblivion as our followers were. When we arrived Tsunami immediately searched for a world where her remaining subjects could live and hopefully one day regain their former glory. The world that she chose became known as Jurai. Having no remaining followers of our own, Tokimi and I explored this new universe. After some time I grew bored and decided to do something unprecedented, give up my divinity and become as mortal as I could be. You see, despite the fact that I am the goddess of knowledge I knew little about the universe. It was my hope that by descending I could gain the knowledge I desired. Tokimi said that I was insane to give up my godhood, I said that I was right and that there was nothing she could do about it. Tsunami, being the kind soul that she is, tried to mediate the dispute but instead she was drawn in herself. So it became a three-way argument. Tokimi, who by this point was insane due to her followers being killed, felt that we should use our power to bend this universe to our will and ensure that the destruction of our home could never happen again. Tsunami felt that by giving our power to mortals their unorthodox ideas could prevent the destruction. I, like Tsunami, felt that mortals were the key, but that we should study them closely and choose the right ones to give new power to. For if our power was unable to prevent the last cataclysm, how would it be different now. Eventually we decided that the only way to solve this problem was for each of us to test our hypothesis and with the data that we collect create a fighter to test against the other's fighters. The fighter that won obviously had the better philosophy.  
  
As I prepared to descend I created three gems, and I placed all of my knowledge and power into them. I left myself just enough power to defend myself should the need arise. I then put myself on a world and willed myself to forget everything but my name and some basic skills. So I lived like a mortal, learning all I could. I got married and had a child, only to have them taken away from me. All the while I had a need to find a person to give the three mysterious gems, that I had, to. So, to fill my need for family and a bearer of my gems, I created Ryoko. A daughter that I could love with all my heart and a champion that would be powerful enough to prove that I was right." She was stopped by Ryoko slamming her hands on the table.  
  
"Is that all I am for you, a weapon in some kind of pissing match." Ryoko was furious and hurt. To think, the mother that she had come to love only considered her as a weapon.  
  
"No! Ryoko you must believe me, you are not a weapon. If I considered you as a weapon then I would never have used my own ovum to create you. I also wouldn't have spent such time and effort getting to know you again. When Kagato kidnapped you and forced you to do all those horrible things I was heartbroken. I had always planed on giving you the choice to fight, if I planed to force you to fight then I would be no better than what Tokimi became." "[Please believe me my little Ryoko.]" With that mental plea Washu set all of her love for Ryoko across the link.  
  
When Ryoko felt her mother's love for her she dove into Washu's arms and cried. After several minutes Ryoko pulled away from her mother's embrace and wiped her arm across her face to dry the remaining tears. When she looked up and saw the smiling faces of her extended family she blushed in embarrassment. "Come on Washu, get on with the story."  
  
"Of course," answered Washu with a loving smile. "As I said, Kagato kidnapped Ryoko from me and used her to start a reign of terror. Eventually, she was imprisoned by Yosho only to be released seven hundred years later by Tenchi. Now, Tenchi is a rare and special person, he was born with the potential to use the Light Hawk Wings independently of Tsunami's power. When Kagato nearly killed Tenchi, Tsunami awakened his potential and claimed him as her champion. I can only guess that it was during this time that Tokimi claimed Zander as her champion."  
  
"So does that mean that this Zander person has the same potential as Tenchi," asked Ayeka.  
  
"It's possible. But I think that Tokimi made it so hat he could use the wings. You see, when I was a goddess we knew of three ways a person could use the wings: be born with them, be born with the potential, or have them forced upon them. The third way is painful but the person doing the forcing can control the amount of wings. Now the battle between our chosen representatives probably wouldn't have happened for many more centuries, but because Tsunami broke the rules, Tokimi has started early."  
  
Azusa was infuriated, how dare Washu say that about Tsunami. How dare she say that about his goddess. "Why do you say such lies about our deity. Tsunami is a paragon of virtue that would never break a rule!"  
  
Washu sat there and looked at Azusa for several seconds. Then she started laughing. She was laughing so hard that she was rolling around on the floor. When she was able to pull herself together and stop laughing she looked at the red-faced emperor. "What Tsunami are you talking about. The Tsunami that I remember once pantsed a man while he was giving a speech in front of my world's general assembly. Tsunami had the unofficial title of goddess of pranks, which was in stark contrast with her prudish attitudes." She shook her head for a few seconds at the absurdity of her sister. "Now as I was saying, Tsunami broke the rules about have only one champion. I have to admit it was partially my fault that Ranma got the potential in the first place, but she didn't have to activate it."  
  
"Woah, woah, are you telling me that some one else from this planet that can use Tsunami's power," Azusa said incredulously.  
  
Everyone pointed at Ranma and Yosho answered his father's question. "Ranma can use the Light Hawk Wings as well."  
  
Azusa looked slightly manic. "Please tell me that he is somehow related to us." He really needed that to be the fact. All of his life he had believed in the power of the Juraian Empire. Yet every time he hears of this backwater planet there is another powerful person.  
  
Yosho shook his head, "Until Mihoshi found him he was 100% human."  
  
On her side of the table Washu's eye was twitching. All these interruptions were really getting to her. "AS I WAS SAYING! When Tsunami activated Ranma's power Tokimi got angry she invaded Jurai so that she could show her that she was wrong."  
  
********* Tokimi's Hall Two Weeks Later  
  
The goddess Tokimi was not a happy camper. After she landed her hall on Jurai she deployed her shades, echoes of Tokimi's dead followers that she created with her power. It was Tokimi's hope that they would be able to convince Tsunami's people to follow her. It seems that they had the opposite effect. "I need something to cheer me up," stated the grumpy goddess. Since she was still the same size as when she was "talking" to Tsunami she was pacing about the golden pedestal. After several seconds of random pacing she perked up considerably. "I know! I'll use my tool, I mean Setsuna, to check up on my nemesis. That stupid "emperor" should have reached them by now. Hopefully they will have been so depressed that they killed themselves."  
  
Through Setsuna she looked into the valley where all her problems resided. As she looked at what Ranma was doing she felt an energy signature coming off of him and it caused to get even angrier. She remembered that signature, when someone twice as powerful as her warns her about something she doesn't forget that kind of thing. She decided to use the Time Gates to find where he got this power from, because if one of her sisters gave him that power then there would be no mercy for the culprit. As she looked over Ranma's life she kept a sharp eye out for that certain signature. When she found out how he got it Tokimi's sanity packed its bags and flew to Hawaii. It was her fault for him having that power. By getting that book to Ranma's fat, stupid father he was able to get a power that gave the Brothers pause.  
  
Tokimi removed herself from Setsuna's mind and let off a scream. It was so laud and so powerful that people all over the sector stopped in their tracks and shuddered. For her scream was not a happy one, it told of a person that was insane and was going to kill people in very messy ways.  
  
********  
  
Authors Notes: Well, we come to the end of another chapter in this work of fiction and a lot of things have happened. If you have read the chapter then you know what I mean, if you are the kind of person that goes to the end first, then scroll up to the top and start reading.  
  
:Chaos Lord looks around:  
  
Are they gone yet . . . . good. So I bet you have a lot of question regarding this chapter. Who is Melchor? Who is the man in the white space? Who are the brothers, and do they make good coffee? Well I will answer all these questions, later on. For now I'm going to leave you hanging. Since the people that read this comment on things that I would never expect, I'll let you, the reader, ask me questions and if I can answer them without giving any real answer then I will be happy. As you might have noticed, this is the longest chapter to date, and the people that have their hand in my back are happy with that. From now on I will be updating my story to my new website first, then I will post it to the usual suspects. The site's address is  
  
http://www.geocities.com/chaoslord1701/  
  
hope you enjoy it.  
  
Chaos Lord King of the Wicker People 


	6. Chapter 5 Tying Up Loose Ends

The Light Hawk War  
  
By: Chaos Lord  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to their respective owners. The concepts dealing with the Time Gates, the Ultimate Good and Evil, and the Forbidden belong to Pac Man.  
  
********  
  
Chapter 5  
  
********  
  
In a shrine atop a hill in Tokyo, Japan, slept a shrine maiden. She wasn't blessed with the happy wholesome dreams that others receive, no, the dreams that this woman is subjected to are dark and soul wrenching. She lies on her mat, tossing and turning as she was once again assaulted by terrible images. For several minutes she thrashes about until she bolts into a sitting position. The only things keeping the scream the she felt from being released was her will and the fact that this wasn't the first time that this had happened.  
  
As she sat on her mat and tried to recover from the effects of yet another nightmare, Rei Hino silently fumed. "This fifth night in a row and it's always the same damn dream." She threw her hands into the air and looked to the heavens. "Fine. I'll ask the sacred fire. Just let me have a peaceful sleep." Rei then removed herself from her covers and walked over to her closet to retrieve her shrine clothes. Instead of putting on a fresh bra and pair of panties she just put the clothes over the sweaty ones that she had been wearing. The way she figured it by the time she was finished communing with the sacred fire anything that she might be wearing would be so sweat soaked that it would make little difference.  
  
When Rei was finished getting dressed she headed for the altar that contained the sacred flame so that she may do her true calling, coaxing images out of the flame. From a very early age Rei had been able to communicate with the flame and the images she received from it were so powerful and clear that her grandfather had called higher ranking members of his order to examine her. When they saw Rei's rapport with the flame they were in awe, she was able to get better images than the greatest masters. Upon seeing her skill one master remarked, "It is as if she linked to the fire in some profound way." When Rei became Sailor Mars, the red-suited senshi of fire, she realized how accurate the master's words were.  
  
As Rei entered the fire chamber she was once again humbled by the power that coursed through the room. It wasn't the flame it self that awed her, in the guise of Sailor Mars, Rei could summon fire much more intense than any found within the shrine. What truly amazed Rei was the awesome spiritual energy that flows through the room. When Rei sat before the flame she closed her eyes and extended her spirit into the flame. Once she was in contact with the spirits of the flame Rei opened her eyes and addressed her flaming oracle. "Oh sacred fire, please, tell me why am I having these dreams? What does it mean?" Rei stared into the fire for a minute and then she was enveloped in a blinding white flash.  
  
When the light receded Rei found herself in what was becoming one of her own private hells. She was in her dream. Rei stood in the middle of one of the streets that headed to the center on Tokyo. The buildings that stood on either side of the lane would have been considered beautiful if it were not for the fact that pieces of them were broken off and the buildings them selves were burning in a hellish fire. As Rei stood there she once again noted how quiet it was, even the flames, which burned so fierce and free, yet gave not a single whisper.  
  
That was when the part if the dream that Rei truly feared began. Into the deafening silence came the moans of people who were injured and in pain. As Rei turned in the direction of the moans she silently hoped that it was merely people in pain and not the horror that she knew that it was. When she was facing the source of the moans Rei had to suppress a scream of rage and sorrow.  
  
What lie before Rei was a truly terrible sight. The tall tower of Crystal Tokyo was shattered into a million pieces. But that wasn't as bad as what was on the ground. Her friends and fellow senshi were before her in various states of death.  
  
Ami, the brains of their group, was encased in a block of ice. The blue haired senshi was kneeling on the ground with her arms up as if trying to ward off the attack that killed her.  
  
On a wall with the Silence Glaive embedded in her chest was Hotaru in her guise as Sailor Saturn. The strength of her attacker is evident in both that the person was able to take the glaive from Saturn and the fact that only the spiked end protruded out of her chest. The rest of the mighty weapon was embedded into the magically reinforced crystal that constituted for the city's construction.  
  
Near the fallen Saturn lay her parents, Sailors Uranus and Neptune. Haruka lay upon her lover in a manner that suggested that when she died, Haruka was trying to protect Michiru. But instead of protecting all Haruka was expedite her own death which was caused by the Space Sword being thrown with so much force that it drove through both of the girls chests.  
  
On the opposite side of the street and twenty feet away from where Rei was standing laid the corpse of Sailor Jupiter. Steam wafted from the crescent shaped hole in Makoto's dead body.  
  
Across the street from the dead body of Makoto lay the decapitated body of Sailor Venus. Minako's arms were splayed out and her hand was still in the pose that she used to fire the crescent beam that killed her comrade-in-arms. Rei looked for several seconds for her friend's head and she found it at her feet. The shocked expression that adorned her face when she accidentally killed her friend was still present on her decapitated head.  
  
These sights were not as bad as the one that Rei would soon be subjected to. In the distance she saw something glittering in the firelight and, wanting to get away from the carnage that surrounded her, she ran towards the light. But when she got there she wished had stayed with the bodies of her friends.  
  
At the base of a chunk of crystal lay chibi-Moon. Usa was cut in half from the top of her pink haired head to her crotch.  
  
Several feet away, up against a wall was the body of Tuxedo Mask. Mamoru was pinned to the wall by way of one of his roses stuck through each hand. His face was beaten and bloody and the white mask that went along with the costume was no where to be found. The method of this man's death was pretty obvious since his cane was sticking out of his neck.  
  
If the father and daughter were not enough to break Rei's spirit then the state of the mother was. Sailor Moon was attached to a crystal spear that was sticking out of the ground. The wings that graced her super form were ripped off and her attacker had used them to pin her to the spear. Besides the two wings protruding from her shoulders there was no other injuries to the world's savior. In Rei's opinion Usagi's death was the most painful, for while the others died quickly, Usagi slowly bleed to death with the knowledge that she had failed her family, her friends, and her world. The agony of that knowledge was still evident on the dead girl's face.  
  
This final image of death was too much for Rei to take. For five nights she has been forced to see this image over and over. While she has had dreams that involved the death of those she holds dear it was never as violent and real as this one. So, not being able to handle it any more Rei dropped to her knees and screamed to the heavens, "WHY?!" After that Rei began to cry.  
  
Soon a wind starts to blow and a white light forms where the wind originated. Rei looked up at the light in wonder, in all the times she has had this dream there was never any wind or white light. For several seconds the light got bigger and more intense until a man walked through it. As soon as the man had both feet on the ground the light which had gotten as bright as the sun simply ceased to be. It took a minute for Rei's eyes to adjust to the sudden change in light, but when she could see again Rei was stunned. Standing right in front of her was her grandfather. Not caring how or why he was in her dream, Rei latched on to the small man like one would clutch a life preserver.  
  
For several minutes Grandpa Hino held his granddaughter as she cried her sorrows away. To cheer her up the old man said, "Shh, there now. Remember, this is just a dream."  
  
Rei pulled away from her grandfather, "No it isn't. This is going to happen. If it is in my dream then it is the future."  
  
The expression on his face changed to one Rei couldn't read. "This is merely a possible future. The future depends on the actions of people, and no one, not you and definitely not Setsuna, can see it all. All a person can see is one or two possible futures."  
  
Rei grabbed her grandfather's robes like a mad woman. "Why'd this happen?! How can we stop it? HOW?!" After that Rei realized what she was doing and released her grandfather's robes.  
  
"Why, that is a simple answer. Arrogance, stupidity, and fear led to this destruction." Seeing the look on Rei's face the man decided to clarify his last statement. "In the future that leads to this, you Senshi become arrogant. You came to feel that since you had the power it was your right to tell those who didn't have power what to do. Mind you, you didn't sound so cold and ugly when you finally stated your intentions, but the end translation was the same, we have power we rule. You Senshi have always been stupid, in fact the smartest of you is not Ami but Usagi. Unlike you others who defer to the cats or Setsuna at every turn, when it truly matters Usagi listens to her heart, and because of that this world has been saved many times. Unfortunately as time goes on she will begin to differ to those "wiser" than her and then it will be beginning of your fall. Rei there is something you must know, there are aliens on Earth."  
  
Despite being angry at her grandfather's words Rei immediately whipped out her henshin wand when she heard that. "What, where?" When she looked to her grandfather Rei saw the disappointment on his face.  
  
"Do you see what I mean about fear. When I said that there are aliens on Earth you immediately looked for something to attack. This attitude will lead to your fall. When you came to power and decreed that you would seek out and destroy all the aliens on Earth, you ran off those that are necessary to prevent this. What you didn't consider is that not all aliens are evil.  
  
"As for how this can be stopped, look." With that the old man pointed up and behind Rei.  
  
Rei turned in the direction that her grandfather indicated and what she saw amazed her. Floating above the Earth was a large woman. Now she wasn't fat just really tall. Her eyes were cold and mean, and a malicious smirk graced her lips. In front of this evil woman flitted three regular sized people. Two of them were men and the other was a woman. One man was in black robes the other man was in white robes and the woman had red robes. Each had a sword the color of their robes and red and white were fighting black. For several minutes red and white were beating black then red made a mistake and received the man in black's sword through her chest. At seeing his partner dead, white screamed in rage and sorrow and killed black. But white's victory was short lived because the large woman killed him with a blast of power. Soon the woman disappeared and everything but Rei and her grandfather were covered in darkness.  
  
"So you see, the final result of your actions is the end of all. But even now there is hope. If you and the other Senshi change your ways it will go a long way toward saving all you hold dear. There is one other thing that you must do," with that there was a flash beside the elderly man and a much younger man appeared in his place.  
  
This man had a powerful yet graceful frame that was covered in Chinese style clothes. His face was kind and his blue eyes were filled with an inner pain. Yet amongst this pain Rei observed a will to overcome any obstacle. He had raven-black hair that was pulled into a ponytail.  
  
"Look carefully Rei and remember this man's face. For he is Ranma Saotome and it is he who will determine the fate of the universe. Meet him, gain his trust, but no harm should come to him." When his final words were spoken everything vanished and Rei found herself in front of the sacred fire once more. She looked to the small clock that hung on the wall and was astounded that from the time that she entered the room to now only ten minutes had passed. Rei quickly ran to her room so that she could call her fellow senshi.  
  
*********  
  
In the black expanse that Rei just left, stood the entity that pretended to be Rei's grandfather. He extended his senses and tapped into his very soul. As he did so he was able to witness the effects to the time stream that the change he just made would have. After watching long enough to determine if his pawn, Ranma Saotome, would be able to continue on his path unfettered by the Senshi he clapped his hands in satisfaction. His body then disappeared as he dropped the illusion that he was maintaining and he rejoined the unending time stream.  
  
*********  
  
In her room Rei had just finished calling the other Senshi. Though there were several rather colorful metaphors flung by Haruka everyone said that they would come. Even Usagi, who has always been rather vocal about early meetings didn't utter a single peep in opposition.  
  
After ending her conversation with the final Senshi on her list, Rei gathered some fresh clothes so she could take a shower. When she passed her grandfather in the kitchen she set her clothes down and gave the elderly man a great big bear hug. Rei held him for several seconds then put him down, gathered her clothes, and headed to the furo.  
  
Grandpa Hino turned to his assistant Yuuichirou and asked, "Now what was that about."  
  
The defunct singer shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows. You know how Rei gets at times."  
  
*********  
  
Sitting around the short table were all the Senshi but Rei and Setsuna. Each girl at the table wondered what could be so important that Rei would call them over at such an early hour. Even Mamoru was present at this meeting, which was surprising to some of the Senshi.  
  
For his part Mamoru was a little scared. After Galaxia, all the Senshi but Usagi and Setsuna had come over to his apartment and given him a rather vocal dressing down. The told him that he had better start treating Usagi better or some nasty things might happen to him. Haruka said it best when she told him, "Since you are our king we can't kill you but we can put you in traction." Of course they all got a punch or a kick in to emphasize that they mean business. Mamoru rubbed his still sore shin and thought, "Who would have thought that Ami could kick that hard." Mamoru got their message and started taking his and Usagi's relationship seriously and when he did so he was pleasantly surprised. While Usagi will not let their activities go all the way what they have done is enough to make his eyes cross.  
  
When Rei finally arrived, her hair was still wet and she was apologizing profusely, "I'm so sorry. I fell asleep in the furo," she admitted in an embarrassed tone.  
  
"So what's so important that you called us this early," Haruka grumbled. While she didn't mind coming to meetings anymore she did mind having her "quality time" with Michiru interrupted. Ever since Galaxia Haruka and Michiru have been coming to every meeting. Shortly after the final battle Usagi held a meeting and commanded Haruka and Michiru to attend. It was that meeting that caused Haruka to truly fear someone because she saw what few had, a truly pissed off Usagi. And unlike other times that this had happened, Usagi had the full backing of the crystal. Needless to say, the floating hair and white glowing eyes convinced the wayward Senshi who was boss. Usagi was angry for two reasons: first, she had murdered her fellow Senshi, and second, her plan failed. If Usagi's accusations weren't enough then the look that was on Hotaru's face when her "Papa" killed her pushed her actions home. Usagi had said that if they tried something like that again then she would strip them of their power. So ever since that meeting it was the Sailor Senshi and Pluto, whereas before it was the inners and outers.  
  
Rei looked at Haruka and understood the cause of the blonde-hared Senshi's ire and answered simply. "I've had another vision."  
  
When Rei said that all traces of humor on the part of the assembled group vanished and everyone was paying attention to the Senshi of Mars. Even Usagi, who would be crying at this point, disengaged herself from Mamoru and took on a serious attitude. "Rei what was the vision about?"  
  
Rei sighed and sat next to Usagi. "The first part is to terrible to say and I don't want to think about it. Let's just say you were all dead and Crystal Tokyo was in ruins. All that really affected me and Grandpa came a cheered me up. He also told me that we were the cause of the destruction." A chorus of outrage followed that announcement.  
  
The rowdy crowd was silenced by the simplest of gestures. Usagi merely raised her hand and all the yelling came to a stop. "Everyone this is important, please let Rei finish." She then turned to Rei, "Go on."  
  
Rei was once again stunned at the authority that Usagi could summon should the need arise. "Right, he said the when Usagi became queen we didn't go into ruling the right way and it basically became a dictatorship. Also, he said the way we blindly follow whatever Artimis, Luna, and Setsuna say also get us into trouble. He said the one we should be listening to is Usagi."  
  
Haruka had no problem with that last statement at all. She had seen how Usagi had followed only the advice in her heart and save the world. Haruka had vowed that she would try to be more like Usagi in her judgment of people and situations.  
  
"Grandpa also said that there are aliens on Earth and when we come to power we scare them off the planet. Unfortunately, they would have been able to help us save the world. "  
  
"He did say how we could stop the destruction of the world. First we have to change how we do things. The second thing we have to do is protect a guy named Ranma Saotome."  
  
Makoto got a look of recognition on her face. "Hey Rei, did you get a look at the guy."  
  
Everyone in the room including Rei rolled their eyes, they all thought that the brown-hared Senshi of thunder was looking for a new boyfriend. Despite this Rei answered anyway, "Yeah, he has black hair pulled in a pigtail, deep blue eyes, and is a little taller than me. Why?"  
  
Makoto slammed a fist into her open palm. "I knew it! The guy we're s'posed to protect is a legend."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Yeah. I subscribe to a martial arts magazine and in it they have a section about extreme martial artists."  
  
"So what does the magazine say about him," asked Ami.  
  
Makoto's face got that faraway look that one gets when they are trying to remember information. "According to the magazine, he is really powerful and he fights weird things when he isn't defending himself form the other martial artists. He's supposed to be able to do things that we can only do when we are in our Senshi forms"  
  
"Ok, so we have to protect a martial arts wiz," summed up Minako. "So where do we find him? Did your vision tell you Rei?"  
  
Just then, Setsuna barged in with the answer.  
  
*********  
  
After Tokimi realized that everything that she did to kill Ranma only made him stronger, the insanity that had been kept in relative check erupted violently. She showed her pawn Sailor Pluto that Ranma was using the energy that the brothers had warned the pathetic mortals of. Once Tokimi was sure that the foolish girl had comprehended what she was dealing with she left the girl's mind.  
  
After Tokimi released her hold on Setsuna, the Senshi of Pluto was in a panic. It had finally happened, someone was using the power that God had warned them about. He will destroy everything. "I have got to warn the others. We must go and kill this Ranma Saotome." It should be noted that having a mentally unstable goddess using you as a puppet for several millennia isn't conducive to one's mental health. So this decision on the part of Setsuna was not a well thought out as it could be.  
  
So Setsuna pointed her talisman at the Timegate and willed it to show her where the other Senshi were located. "Excellent, they are all in one place," so Setsuna teleported to the shrine.  
  
*********  
  
In the room that Setsuna just left, the Timegates were swirling with prismatic colors and if one were there to listen they would swear that laughter was coming from the ancient structure.  
  
*********  
  
When the green-hared Senshi of Pluto barged into the shrine the others were shocked. Despite the fact that Setsuna was in a pristine fuku, her hair was a mess. Add that to her crazed expression and you have one wacky looking woman.  
  
"Everyone, come quick there's a threat to Crystal Tokyo."  
  
Several of the Senshi summoned their transformation wands while the rest just gapped at Setsuna's appearance. The one who was completely calm was Rei, she had remembered her Grandfather's words concerning Setsuna's ability to see the future. That warning made Rei cautious of anything the Senshi of Pluto might say. "We know."  
  
Setsuna was so out of it she didn't even think to ask how they knew about the danger. She just nodded her head and said, "Good, now help me kill Ranma Saotome."  
  
At that every Senshi in the room other than Pluto turned to face Usagi. After several seconds of thinking, Usagi answered the unspoken question in her most commanding voice. "No, we are not going to help you kill him."  
  
"NO, you must help me kill him. He's using the Forbidden!" If possible, Setsuna's expression became even more manic at that declaration.  
  
When Luna and Artimis heard this they knew they had to say something. "Usagi, if this person is truly using the Forbidden then it s your duty to stop him."  
  
"Why? What is the Forbidden," asked Michiru.  
  
Luna took up a stance as if she were teaching a classroom, if that is even possible for cats. "A thousand years before the start of the Silver Millennium, God descended and gave the royal family of the Moon the Silver Crystal. Later, he descended once more and gave the Senshi of Saturn the Silence Glaive. After each gift was given, God warned us of a powerful energy. He said that it could cause great destruction."  
  
To the Senshi that listened to what Rei had said, things were not adding up. "What exactly did God say," asked Ami.  
  
Artimis raised a paw, "I remember. My mother made me memorize what he said. ""Good people, be watchful. There is a power that you posses that has great destructive potential. If you find someone who wields this power treat them appropriately. For if you don't it could mean the doom of all."" I never really understood why God told us twice. But oh well."  
  
The Senshi looked at each other and the same thought crossed all of their minds, "No where did he say kill."  
  
Setsuna was getting tired of waiting for the rest of the group to make up its mind. "You talk it over and when you're ready to help, meet me in Nerima." At that she left and headed in the direction of Nerima.  
  
As Setsuna left the room Usagi stood up and addressed her fellow Senshi. "Well don't just sit there. We have to make sure that she doesn't hurt Ranma." And with that Usagi transformed and headed after the wayward Senshi of Time.  
  
The rest of the assembled Senshi sat in shock at Usagi's initiative for several seconds. After they realized that their leader had left them they transformed and followed Usagi.  
  
*********  
  
Sitting in the clearing wherein the space tree Funaho once resided was Ranma Saotome and his girlfriend Mihoshi Kuramitsu. Ranma was leaning against one f the trees that were surrounding the clearing and Mihoshi had her head on Ranma's shoulder.  
  
After Azusa came with the news about Jurai's invasion, Ranma's trip to Nerima had been put on hold. Since then Ranma has been extremely bored, the only high points of the time have been when he was practicing his art while integrating his newfound powers into his style. Or when he and Mihoshi were spending time together. Though they are in love, they decided to hold off on sex, in either form. Despite this, the couple had managed to take several baths together and were now sharing a room and a bed.  
  
"Hey Mihoshi."  
  
Said girl sat up and looked into her love's eyes. "Yes?"  
  
When Mihoshi did that Ranma's insides turned to goo. Whenever she would talk to him, Mihoshi would always make sure that she was looking into his eyes. That way Ranma knew that she was talking TO him, not AT him. None of his other fiancés did that and it made Ranma love her even more.  
  
"It's been two weeks since I said that I needed to tie up the stuff in Nerima. Since we moved Funaho and planted mine and Tenchi's trees there isn't much for us to do besides wait for Washu to finish fixing Azusa's ship." For Azusa's ship, opening a gateway to another point in space is easy, it's getting around the time issue that is hard. When Azusa pushed his ship to get them to Earth as quickly as possible, he severely injured the ship's engine sections. Washu examined the damaged sections to see if she could speed up the tree's natural healing abilities but there was nothing that she could do that wouldn't do more damage than she fixed. Since Azusa wouldn't let them go without him and he wouldn't go without his ship they were stuck on Earth for the time being.  
  
"So I think that we should go now and get everything out of the way. Besides, I want you to meet my mother."  
  
"I want to meet her, and I think you're right. Why don't we go back to the house and tell everyone that we are going." Mihoshi then stood and held out her hand to Ranma.  
  
Ranma took her hand and got up, "I'm glad you agree." He then put his arm around her waist and the couple started down the path back to the house.  
  
*********  
  
In Tenchi Masaki's bedroom, a trio was recovering from a rather lengthy love making session. Soon after her parents had arrived, Ayeka told them about her relationship with Tenchi and Ryoko. What surprised her parents and her loves the most was Ayeka's declaration that no matter what they said she would be with Ryoko and Tenchi.  
  
Misaki and Funaho were happy that Ayeka had found people to love and be with. Azusa, on the other hand, was furious. Not only did she want to marry the Earth brat AND the criminal Ryoko, but she also said she was going to marry them whether he likes it or not. Unfortunately for Azusa, he is married to two very high spirited women and after a week and a half of stubbornness on his part, Funaho took him to their room. After several hours Azusa came out of the room pale and trembling with fear. When he saw his daughter he gave his blessings and then hid in his ship. He hasn't come out for three days.  
  
After receiving her parents blessing, Ayeka did something none expected. A feral grin appeared on her face and she threw Tenchi over one shoulder, Ryoko went over the other one, and the princess ran upstairs to Tenchi's room. The only time they were seen for the next three days was when one would sneak off to the bathroom.  
  
As she was lying on Tenchi's bed and looking over the sleeping forms of her most cherished possessions, Ryoko happily remembered that glorious day. Knowing how cautious Ayeka was, Ryoko had been willing to wait until the three of them were married. Needless to say, when Ayeka dragged them up to Tenchi's room, Ryoko was a very happy woman. As she lay there Ryoko heard a soft knock at the door. So as not to disturb Ayeka and Tenchi, Ryoko carefully floated over to the door. Before opening the door Ryoko donned Tenchi's housecoat, since there were new people living in the house she didn't want strangers to see her in all her glory. When Ryoko opened the door she saw Sasami and immediately a smile graced her features. After Washu used her regained powers to dampen the link between Sasami and Tsunami, the young girl has not been as bright and cheerful as before. Some days she would be almost normal, others she would be depressed and easily scared. Sasami had also taken to remaining near a member of the family at all times. Luckily it appeared that Sasami was in one of her brighter moods and had a soft smile adorning her face.  
  
"So what's up Sasami?"  
  
"Ranma wants to talk to all of us."  
  
"Thanks, I'll wake Tenchi and Ayeka up and we'll be right down."  
  
"On your way down can you make a stop in the furo, you stink." To emphasize this point, Sasami waved her hand in front of her nose as if she was clearing away a bad odor.  
  
"Grr, why you," Ryoko playfully growled.  
  
Sasami gave of a giggle and ran in the direction of the living room.  
  
Ryoko smiled as she watched Sasami run off, thankful that for at least that moment Sasami was acting like herself again. After standing in front of the door for a minute and reflecting on simpler times, Ryoko walked back into Tenchi's room so that she could rouse her beloveds out of bed.  
  
*********  
  
Sitting on a couch across from Ranma and Mihoshi sat Funaho. As she sat she watched as the couple snuggled and waited for the others to arrive. To Funaho, Ranma Saotome was one big question mark. Sure, she knew his history but there was one thing that the empress did not know, what was Ranma's allegiance. Tenchi and Ryoko were now bound to Jurai through their relationship with Ayeka, which consequently was one of the reasons she had approved of the match-up. But Ranma, with his relationship to Mihoshi, had no ties to Jurai other than the ones of camaraderie. As far as she was concerned, Ranma was a wild card, both in Juraian politics and in the battle to come.  
  
*********  
  
About five minutes after Ranma asked Sasami to get everyone, Washu sat down on the couch beside Ranma and Mihoshi. Like Funaho, Washu was watching Ranma, but unlike Funaho, Washu was also using other methods of surveillance other than her eyes to keep track of Ranma. What see saw only confirmed her beliefs in the goodness of Ranma's heart.  
  
Shortly after Washu arrived so did Yosho. As usual, the priest was wearing the simple robes that he regularly donned. What many found strange about the man was that outside of serious situations he acted like the twenty-year old that he now appeared to be.  
  
On the heels of Yosho's entrance came Misaki and a very grumpy Azusa. When the emperor sat next to Funaho he made a motion as f he was going to hold his wife's hand. But before he could go too far he withdrew his hand and placed it back in his lap and if possible his expression became ever more downcast. Azusa's expression soon became one of joy as Funaho reached out and took his hand in her own.  
  
As soon as Azusa entered the room the guards that had been nearly living at the dining room table sat up straighter. They had been on guard when it was just Funaho in the room, but with Azusa now in the room the guards became a little more cautious.  
  
When Sasami finished getting everyone like Ranma requested she came back to the living room and immediately sat next to her mother. As soon as the young girl sat down Ryo-Oh-Ki jumped into her friend's lap.  
  
Several minutes later a wet haired Tenchi and Ayeka filed in. They were followed by a floating Ryoko.  
  
"Ok Ranma, we're here, now what is so important that you had Sasami drag us out of bed," asked a still groggy Ayeka.  
  
Ranma blinked at the princess's more abrupt behavior. "Right. If you remember, before Azusa and his wives arrived I was going to go back to Nerima. I still need to go and the best time is now. Besides, I want to have all the stuff in Nerima finished before I go to another planet."  
  
"Excellent idea, Ranma," said Funaho. "Helping you solve your problems will allow us to get our minds off our own." She then turned her head to face Azusa, "Won't it dear." To illustrate how serious she was, Funaho also squeezed Azusa's hand.  
  
The objection that was about to spew for Azusa's mouth was quickly snuffed out by his wife's look. The pressure she was applying to his hand also helped. "Yes dear."  
  
Knowing that such a large crowd might destroy their budget, Tenchi looked to Washu for help. "Little Washu, I don't think we can afford train tickets for all these people. Do you have a LOW KEY way to get us to Nerima?" He wanted to emphasize the low-key part, otherwise she would have suggested Ryo-Oh-Ki.  
  
"I do, but first I want Yosho to return Ryoko's gems to her. She will need them for when we fight and she needs some time to get used to their full power." Now that Funaho was in a tree planter, Washu felt that her daughter's possessions, the remaining gems, should be returned to her.  
  
Yosho looked unsure for several seconds as he thought about Washu's request. He came to the same conclusion that Washu did, with his tree in its proper place he could give back the gems without any detrimental effects to him or his tree. Also, the initial reason he had taken the gems was no longer applicable. Ryoko was happy in her new life and she is no danger except to those who would threaten her new life. "Very well, Tenchi you must return the sword to me."  
  
Tenchi pulled the Tenchi-ken from his belt and gave it to Yosho. As Yosho reached for the blade blue electricity arced from the hilt to his hand. Yosho was once again the sword's true owner.  
  
"Good, now Ryoko stand before me." Yosho waited for her to do so and when she was close enough, Yosho pointed the end with the gems at the ex- space pirate. He then extended his essence into the sword and willed the gems back to their rightful owner, Ryoko.  
  
For those that were able to see it, the gems in the hilt of the Tenchi-ken glowed and then disappeared. When the glow vanished from the sword, two point of orange light formed on Ryoko's neck and right wrist. As the power of the additional gems coursed through her very being, Ryoko was in heaven. She was feeling so good that she began to float upwards. As she did so her arms were extended outwards from her body and reddish- orange electricity arced off her lithe form. She was so in awe at her regained powers that Ryoko through her head back and laughed in rapture.  
  
To the others in the room, Ryoko looked kinda scary with the energy flowing around her body and her laughing didn't help to assuage their concern. Yosho was beginning to wander if it wasn't a better idea to not let Ryoko regain her gems. Where as Yosho was contemplating the rightness of his choice, Ayeka and Tenchi were of two minds on the subject. On one hand they were a little creeped out by Ryoko's display. On the other they were getting really turned on, with their joining Tenchi and Ayeka could feel a portion of what Ryoko was feeling. These feelings were helped along by the fact that from their position, Ayeka and Tenchi had a clear view of Ryoko's perfect butt.  
  
After several seconds of floating and laughing Ryoko realized how she must have looked. If anyone could have seen her face they would have noticed a very evil grin as she thought of a joke she could play on the group. So she concentrated a little so as o make her eyes glow and then she looked down at Yosho. "You fool! With these gems I can now take over the world," she said evilly. In the light of the assembled group's expression, Ryoko could not contain her laughter and soon she was floating on her back as she was rolling on a metaphysical floor.  
  
Upon seeing Ryoko's laughter reactions were mixed. Some were either angry, like Azusa, or still in shock, like Yosho. Washu was feeling motherly pride at seeing her daughter scare the bejesus out of the group, it was the Hakubi thing to do. Ranma was trying very hard not to laugh at Ryoko's antics. It was something that he would have done, if he had though about it.  
  
Showing her ability to remain on topic despite whatever distraction that may occur, Funaho addressed Washu. "Washu, I believe you said that there was a way to transport us to Nerima less conspicuously."  
  
The goddess nodded her head, "Yes I did. We will be using Light Hawk Wings to get us there."  
  
In a move that was reminiscent of a certain Vulcan, Funaho raised an eyebrow and said, "Explain." This was backed by many nodding heads, especially Tenchi's and Ranma's.  
  
"The trees of Jurai open subspace portals to travel long distances. Those who can use the Light Hawk Wings can do the same. There are pluses and minuses to this, the trees can go anywhere using the portals, you just point them in the right direction and off you go. The problem with that method is that the transport isn't instantaneous, the more power you put into the portal the shorter the trip. When using the wings, a person can go wherever they want in an instant. The downside of this method is that you can only open a gate to a place that you have been to.  
  
"So this is how we are going to do this, Ranma will open a gate to Nerima. He will take Tenchi and Ryoko through and on the other side they will open portals so that he rest of can come."  
  
"Washu, how the hell am I s'posed to do that," asked a flustered Ryoko.  
  
Said goddess shook her head and acted as if she was disappointed, "To think, the daughter of the greatest scientific genius in the universe is a fool. Ok, I'll speak so you can understand my little Ryoko. You're my daughter, so therefore you have the genetic potential to use the Light Hawk Wings. The gems that you have contain all the Light Hawk Power that I had before I descended. Now that you have them you will be able to use that power."  
  
"Does that mean I can use ten wings," asked an awed Ryoko. She remembered the power of Tsunami's wings from the battle with Kagato and the thought of having that much power sent chills down Ryoko's spine. Chills that were a mixture of both anticipation and dread.  
  
Washu nodded and smiled at the innocent awe on her daughter's face. "In time you will be able to use all ten wings, but for now the max amount that your body can handle is five. Though I would suggest that you only use that many if you really need them."  
  
Everyone in the room was amazed to one degree or another. Tenchi and Ayeka were surprised at how much more powerful Ryoko was than they were. They had always known she was powerful but they figured that she could always be trumped by Tenchi and his Light Hawk Wings.  
  
At hearing this latest news Azusa was less than happy. Here was someone else that was as powerful as his goddess. And while he would never dream of attacking Ryoko, he still didn't like it.  
  
Now Mihoshi took this opportunity to speak. "Why don't we pack some bags and get going. Ranma needs to go home." The assembled group agreed and went to pack themselves overnight bags, just in case.  
  
Before anyone could get away Ranma had one last thing to say. "Make sure you bring some umbrellas. It will probably start raining as soon as we get there."  
  
Ten minutes later the group was assembled on the dock outside the house. Ranma and Tenchi were wearing packs on their backs. The rest of the group was either storing their clothes in some extra dimensional space, Ryoko and Washu, letting the guards carry their stuff, The Royal family, or letting Ranma carry their stuff, Mihoshi. Everyone was dressed as they were in the living room and each person was carrying their own umbrella.  
  
"Ok Washu, how do we do this," asked Ranma.  
  
"Right. Now as I tell Ranma what to do I want you two to listen because you're going to do the same thing on the other side." As she said that, Washu was looking at Ryoko and Tenchi. "Now Ranma I want you to call up your wing." Ranma's face took on a look of concentration and then a transparent-blue Light Hawk Wing appeared before him. "Good. Now think of the place that you want to go, make the picture in your mind as clear as it can be. After you have that, imagine your wing in the area. Now picture that from your wing a string is stretched to a point in front of you. Take that string and turn it into a tunnel big enough to walk through."  
  
As the group listened to Washu's instructions they also watched what Ranma's Light Hawk Wing was doing. After it appeared, the wing glowed brightly and disappeared, leaving only a floating blue dot in front of Ranma. The dot then expanded and formed a round blue-rimmed aperture.  
  
Washu clapped her hands, "Good work Ranma. Now you, Ryoko, and Tenchi walk through. Tenchi, once you reach the other side you and Ryoko open portals of your own and the rest of us will join you."  
  
Ryoko and Tenchi looked at each other then hugged Ayeka. They walked to the swirling portal and before they stepped through they joined hands to comfort the other. When Ryoko and Tenchi walked through the gateway it rippled like water and then returned to normal. Ranma stood and watched as two of his friends stepped through his portal and felt a twitch in the power he was using. Once the twitch was gone, Ranma knew that they had made it through. Ranma hugged Mihoshi and gave her a brief kiss on the lips then stepped through his own portal. After a brief disorientation Ranma was where he had imagined and he was being rained on. By the time Ranma had his umbrella out and opened he was soaked and it had stopped raining. He looked over to the equally soaked Tenchi and Ryoko and threw them a wry grin, "I told you we'd need umbrellas. I swear this damn town hates me."  
  
Ryoko and Tenchi just nodded their heads dumbly. Who would have though Ranma would be right about it raining when they got to Nerima? After several seconds Ryoko slapped her head in frustration, "Damnit! I forgot to ask Washu how to use these blasted wings."  
  
Tenchi placed his hand on his love's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Ranma and I can tell you how we use ours and you can try that," he turned his head to look at Ranma, "right?"  
  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah sure! It's real easy just look inside yourself and find the power. When you find it, will out of your body. It's easy."  
  
Ryoko gave Ranma a look that said, "Yeah right bub, real easy." But she sighed and closed her eyes. Ryoko looked for a power that was different than the one she normally used yet felt similar. This was difficult for Ryoko since she had never truly explored her power before, it had always been a matter of want to do something and her powers did it. Now though as she looked inwardly upon her power she saw that the power ran along her body through channels that start from her gems. From these rivers of power flowed smaller tributaries that suffused her entire being with energy. After searching her body and finding nothing she looked to her gems. She searched each gem starting in the one she had the longest, the gem on her left wrist. After finding nothing there she continued to the gem on her right wrist, and then the one on her neck. It was in this gem that Ryoko hit pay dirt, unlike the other gems that glowed like light bulbs, the one in her neck glowed as bright as a star. When Ryoko touched the light her entire being was filled with Light Hawk energy. It was then that Ryoko realized the nature of the gems, the ones embedded in her wrists supplied her with her regular powers exclusively. It was the one in her neck that contained the entirety of her Light Hawk power, yet she would be unable to access it without the presence of the other gems. After touching the vast power at her disposal, Ryoko did as Ranma said and willed the energy to a point outside her body. When she opened her eyes she saw four red Light Hawk Wings floating before her. She turned her head towards her companions and despite their wide-eyed stare all she could say was, "Wow."  
  
As Ranma and Tenchi watched Ryoko search for her power they were treated to a spectacle of lights. Several seconds after closing her eyes her entire body began to glow red. Shortly thereafter Ryoko shook her head and the red glow vanished. Next they witnessed as the gem on her left wrist began to glow a dull red. Then the gem on her right wrist began to glow the same color. When the gem in Ryoko's neck began to glow that was when the real fireworks began. Where the other gems glowed a dull red, her neck gem glowed a bright fiery red. Ryoko's face lit up in satisfaction and awe. From the gem came red energy that swirled around her body. Out of this red energy formed four red Light Hawk Wings. The wings floated upright and spun around once, then they flew in front of Ryoko and formed into an "X". Ranma and Tenchi stared in awe at the display and where only brought out of their staring by Ryoko's, "Wow."  
  
Ranma then realized how much time they had spent dawdling and said, "You guys better make the portals. You know how Washu gets when you make her wait." A look of mild dread passed over the faces of Ryoko and Tenchi at the thought of an unhappy Washu. They quickly went through the steps that Washu had given Ranma and opened their own portals. Tenchi's portal looked exactly like Ranma's but was much larger, Ryoko's portal was larger than Tenchi's and instead of being blue the portal was red.  
  
The portals stood there for several seconds until Washu strode through the red portal, several seconds later the others came through the portals. Washu walked up to Tenchi and Ryoko and started talking to them. "What took so long with the gates?"  
  
Ryoko looked at her mother darkly. "Well if SOMBODY hadn't forgot to tell me how to use my wings we might have been quicker. But as it is Ranma and Tenchi had to tell me."  
  
The impatient look on Washu's face quickly faded once she heard what her daughter had said and she looked rather apologetic. "Sorry, I forgot."  
  
Ryoko's dark look immediately disappeared and she smiled at her mother. "No problem." She also sent to her mother, ["An apology is all I ask. Thanks."]  
  
Washu smiled at her daughter and sent back, ["You're welcome, my little Ryoko."]  
  
Ranma clapped his hands once to get everyone's attention, "Well if we're all ready, lets get a move on." This was accompanied by a chorus of assents and some grumbling on Azusa's part. And so the group headed off towards the Tendo Dojo.  
  
After several minutes of walking the group hit concrete. As soon as Ranma step foot on the hard surface his senses went into overdrive as he looked for anything that might try to attack. Tree, wall, or gopher, in Nerima anything and everything was a potential aggressor.  
  
It was this increased vigilance that allowed Ranma to spot the man walking towards him. In fact he wasn't that hard to miss given that he was wearing a red cloak wrapped around his frame. But unlike the others who gave the man only a passing glance as they marveled at the various signs of destruction, Ranma was keenly watching him, for he moved like a fighter. Of course the fact that the man had his head down and a wind was dramatically blowing the red bandanna around his head and not his cloak didn't add to Ranma's threat assessment of the man. The man continued walking towards the group until he came to a stop before Ranma and raised his head to look at him. Ranma was now really tensed ready to do battle at a moment's notice. He was ready to defend himself and his girlfriend as the man extended his arm out of the cloak and Ranma was about to jump out of the way with Mihoshi when he saw what was in the man's hand. Out of the myriad of things that Ranma was expecting, knives, shuriken, a cruise missile, a simple photograph was not what he expected.  
  
The photo was old and faded and had the look of being in someone's pocket for a long time. The picture depicted a man with someone on his shoulders but who this person was unclear since that part of the picture had been torn away. "Excuse me," the man said. "Do you know this man?" Everyone looked closely at the photo and shook their heads. The man began to growl then threw his head and arms back and screamed to the heavens. "DAMM YOU KYOJI! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO OUR PARENTS!" This declaration was backed by several lightning bolts dramatically striking the ground behind the obviously insane man. With that the man continued walking in the direction that he had been walking.  
  
Several seconds later a woman with brown hair and large golden earrings ran up and bowed to the group. "Please excuse my friend. He's a little . . . off." With that she took off after the insane man.  
  
The group just stood there looking at the spot the woman and man had vacated until Ryoko commented with, "Daaammmnnn. You said this place was screwed up, but I never thought it was this bad." The assembled group nodded their heads.  
  
After getting creeped out by the surroundings, Mihoshi moved from just holding Ranma's hand to holding his entire arm. Once she did so Mihoshi sighed in comfort. Seeing Mihoshi's actions several other of the couples decided to do the same thing. Soon Tenchi was in between Ryoko and Ayeka while both girls had a firm hold on his arms. Surprisingly, Azusa was in the same position. He wasn't confused about Misaki's body pressed against his, but he was confused about Funaho's actions. Usually she preferred to keep their love life private so when he looked at her questioningly, her answer of, "When on Earth," really threw Azusa for a loop.  
  
Ranma, who was reveling in the sensation of having Mihoshi pressed against him with his arm firmly placed between her ample breasts, had totally forgotten why they were there. The others were too busy with their significant others or boggling at the weirdness that they had just witnessed to remember why they were there. But one person remembered, to the man known as Yosho his presence was for more than just emotional support. No, Yosho was on a far deadlier mission than the others, and no one, even his father would stop him from fulfilling his mission. Yosho cleared his throat to get Ranma's attention, "Ehem, Ranma? Don't forget about why we are here."  
  
At Yosho's words, the women induced hazes in the eyes of the other men quickly vanished. Ranma nodded his head at Yosho, "Thanks, I got a little side tracked there."  
  
Yosho smiled at the youth. "No problem. I too have experienced the joy of having a beautiful woman attached to my arm."  
  
Ranma's only reply was to look into Mihoshi's eyes, smile, and kiss her on the forehead. After several seconds of starring into the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen, Ranma headed towards the place that had been his home after so many years of travel. As he walked he was amazed that he wasn't nervous at all. If you had told Ranma six months ago that he would be in a loving relationship with a beautiful woman that was not a fiancée, he would have laughed in your face. Then he would have nervously waited for the horde of angry women out to punish him for listening to such ideas. Now though, he got a warm feeling throughout his body at the thought of introducing his girlfriend to his family. He looked at said girlfriend and saw her rather nervous expression. "Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
Mihoshi looked at the man she loved, the one who had filled the void in her life so exactly and gave him a weak smile. "I'm just nervous, I mean I want your parents to like me. I'm also worried about how your fiancées will handle us being together."  
  
Ranma gave her one of his roguish grins that he knew she loved. "Don't worry, Mom will love you, s'pecially since she thinks she's going to get grandchildren. Genma, well if he doesn't like you then he's dumber than I thought." His look then became dark, "As for the fiancées. Well, if they can't handle that I found a girl that I love then tough. They had their chance and they blew it." The grin then reappeared, "So don't worry, ok."  
  
Mihoshi's whole demeanor brightened, "You're right." She kissed Ranma on the cheek in gratitude.  
  
"So Ranma, what should we expect when we reach our destination," asked Ayeka.  
  
"Two grown men who are crying and yelling at the same time. Some accusations that I'm dating Funaho and Misaki. My mother dancing and throwing confetti, celebrating my supposed harem and all the grandchildren that are on the way. Kasumi will probably offer us cookies and drinks. And then some of the girls that are after me will show up and try to punish me for leaving them for older women." As he finished Ranma shrugged his shoulders at idiocy of it all.  
  
After hearing Ranma's prediction of their upcoming encounter with his family and friends, Ayeka was very perturbed. This was made evident by the twitch that had developed in her right eye.  
  
On the other hand Ryoko was laughing her ass off. Just the thought of Misaki in a relationship with Ranma was hilarious. Just the look on Ranma's face the first time Misaki had seen his female form was priceless.  
  
Someone else found the entire situation humorous, Sasami. With her mother around Sasami's mood was better but she still wasn't the happy child that she had been before her psychic link with Tsunami. From time to time she had laughed, usually because of something that Ranma had done or something that had been done to him.  
  
When they finally reached the dojo gates Ranma stopped before entering. "Everyone stand back a little bit, I need to make a phone call." Everyone did as Ranma asked, though they were very confused. After the group was far enough away Ranma extended his aura outward, making sure that as he did so he wasn't utilizing just one emotion. As Ranma had gone over the instructions that Cologne had given him he had come across some startling information, using one type of Ki was very dangerous to a person's mental and physical health. Apparently when one uses a single emotion as a source of power that emotion becomes stronger and easier felt. As in the case of Ryouga and Akane the emotions that they use became more and more explosive. The way Ranma and then later on Katsuhito figured, Ryouga was in the greatest danger from his reliance on depression based Ki. As the ease of depression became greater and greater the possibility of Ryouga committing suicide also increased. Ranma realized that he was also in danger from his reliance on confidence as a source of power. Though he wasn't as bad off as Ryouga or Akane since confidence wasn't as heavy as those other emotions, Ranma did see a problem. With Mihoshi as a sounding board for ideas and theories Ranma came to the conclusion that many of his defeats had not been caused by lack of skill but by an overconfidence in his own skills. This in turn caused Ranma to underestimate his opponent and play with them, thereby showing him or her that Ranma Saotome was naturally superior to all others. This attitude, Ranma realized, would get him killed just as easily as any suicide attempt. After much soul searching and fighting of inner demons, Ranma now uses all of his emotions combined. The only sticking point is that confidence seems to been in a greater supply, a side effect of his prior actions, though this problem seems to be fixing itself the more he uses his Ki.  
  
*********  
  
To the others Ranma began to glow a yellow tinged white as his aura extended into the visible spectrum. As Mihoshi watched her beloved show his skill, she smiled that smile that only a woman in love can truly accomplish. While Ranma might be using all of his emotions, with her training Mihoshi can pick out the one most important to her, love. As Ranma had trained her he had struggled with the task of helping her channel her alien life force like he did his human one. After many days of trying Mihoshi and Ranma finally had tumbled upon a way for her to use her version of Ki. Once this happened Mihoshi's skills increased dramatically. By her third day she was already jumping onto the roof of the house and forming an aura, albeit a small one. Apparently Mihoshi was a natural, all she needed was someone to open the lock protecting her potential.  
  
*********  
  
When Ranma started to glow Washu immediately whipped out her computer. Despite her remembered knowledge and power Washu still trusted her equipment, especially when it comes to humans. When her sensors first detected the energies that Ranma used she was astounded. He was nearly as strong as a Juraian with a fully functional tree ship. What was even more amazing was that he generated this energy unaided and that every time she scanned him his energy output had increased, even if it was just a tiny increase. A Juraian has a set limit to the amount of energy they might have, but for Ranma, it seemed as if this "Ki" was limitless. It also befuddled Washu how he was able to hide all that energy. One moment her sensors would be detecting his vast stores of energy the next he was reading at normal energy levels for a human and when he was using his invisibility techniques the energy output dropped to zero. The only thing that kept her from going crazy was the fact that his Juraian and Light Hawk powers behaved normally.  
  
*********  
  
As she watched Ranma extend his aura Funaho was once again amazed with the young man known as Ranma Saotome. When she was a young girl in Japan the energy known as Ki was known to exist. The shrine priests and priestesses used this energy to communicate with the spirit via fire or other mediums. It was also believed that one or two of the martial arts masters could use their life-force to increase their speed and strength and even use it as a weapon. But all of these people had been studying in their chosen fields for four or five decades and had only started using their Ki late in life. That Ranma was using his Ki with such skill after little more than a decade amazed Funaho.  
  
*********  
  
As Azusa watched Ranma he huffed and looked like he really didn't want to be there. Inwardly he was just as amazed as Funaho. He had remembered the concept of Ki from when he had been on earth all those years ago and he understood what it meant for Ranma to use his the way he does. Azusa then looked over at his daughter Ayeka and sighed. As a father Azusa was overjoyed that Ayeka could find people who loved her for who she was and not for her title. As emperor though, Ayeka's decision was very disheartening. She wanted to marry the space pirate Ryoko, a woman who had destroyed a great deal of their home during her reign of terror. What was worse was that she was in love with a man that Azusa considered a pacifist and this was totally unacceptable. The future ruler of the empire should be a strong and virtuous warrior, not someone who would let others walk all over him. On the other hand, with a little fine-tuning, Ranma would be a perfect candidate for emperor, but alas it was not meant to be.  
  
*********  
  
After a minute of having his aura extended Ranma was sure those who he was trying to reach had sensed him so he pulled his aura back into himself. He turned and looked to the group, "Ok, I'm done. Ready to go inside?"  
  
Immediately Mihoshi walked up to Ranma and took his hand. "Yep, let's go."  
  
"Great!" Ranma and Mihoshi turned to face the gate. The walked up and each pushed a door open. As the group walked towards the door they noticed piles of broken bricks scattered across the yard. As he reached the door he raised his hand to knock, but before he struck the wood Ranma hesitated. A gentle pressure on his hand from Mihoshi was all the comfort he needed and he knocked on the door.  
  
After several seconds of waiting the door opened to reveal Kasumi. Once she got a look at who was at the door the smile that was firmly ratcheted to her face broke and was replaced with one of surprise. "Ranma?"  
  
Ranma gave a little wave, "Hey Kasumi. Nice to see you."  
  
A smile, a real honest to god smile lit up Kasumi's face as she lunged forwards and enveloped Ranma in a hug. "Oh Ranma, we missed you so much. It's so good to see you again." She then pulled away from him. "You look different somehow, more happy and calm than I have ever seen you." While she was ecstatic to see the one she had come to consider a little brother, she was also very disturbed. Something about Ranma's was different. It was like the pupils were, narrower? Of course being the polite person that she was, Kasumi decided not to mention it.  
  
"Yeah? Well if I look any better it is because of my friends here," said Ranma as he gestured to the group of people behind him. "And of course Mihoshi here also helped."  
  
Kasumi's eyes widened dramatically, "So you finally found someone. Father will not approve but as long as you are happy then you'll have my support."  
  
"Thanks, I really appreciate that, and I am happy," he looked at Mihoshi and smiled. "I think I'm the happiest that I've ever been."  
  
Kasumi smiled, "So are you going to introduce your friends to me?"  
  
"Can we wait until everyone gets here? I don't want to do this over ad over again."  
  
"Of course." She turned to the side and gestured inside. "Come in please. Friends of Ranma are friends of mine."  
  
The group filed in and took off their shoes. Ranma and Mihoshi donned the slippers meant for guests while everyone else put on slippers provided from the packs the guards were carrying. Once everyone had the proper footwear Kasumi led them to the family room to sit and get comfortable.  
  
When Ranma entered the family room time seemed to slow to a standstill as several things happened. Akane took on a look of happiness only to have it quickly replaced by unbridled fury. Nabiki looked up from her manga and upon noticing Ranma she had a huge smile that dimmed but a little upon seeing Ranma's hand holding Mihoshi's in a loving manner. His mother who had just exited the kitchen saw Ranma and Mihoshi's intertwined hands and immediately began a happy-dance that only a mother expecting grandchildren could produce. The fathers immediately jumped up and began to head at Ranma, all the while berating him for leaving his fiancé. All of this was more or less expected by Ranma. What wasn't expected was Yosho rushing towards Genma all the while yelling, "Die you bastard!!"  
  
*********  
  
When Akane saw Ranma walk in the Tendo family room she was ecstatic. When Ranma had gone into the Neko-Ken all those months ago she had been scared, not because he was in his feral state, no what truly terrified Akane Tendo was Ranma's response to seeing her. She had not seen the happy kitty that always appeared in that state. What she saw was a scared and sad creature who didn't know who to trust. Over the intervening months she had thought long and hard about her feelings for Ranma and she had come to the conclusion that was in love with the baka.  
  
Unfortunately, for Akane, when she saw the intertwined hands of Ranma and Mihoshi, the way they stood next to each other, all of her hopes and dreams that had been built up crumbled to ashes. And with those hopes and dreams went her heart and left Akane Tendo with a wide gaping chasm. Into this seemingly unending sea of pain and despair flew the one emotion that she knew better than any other, anger. A vile, horrid anger that rises up and consumes all that is good and decent in a human being, and in this moment Akane Tendo decided that she would kill that blonde hared gaijin bitch.  
  
*********  
  
Nabiki Tendo was doing what she usually did on Sundays, laze around reading manga. Since Ranma left on his quest to overcome the Neko-Ken life had become rather boring. There was a bright spot in the doldrums, her friends. Yes that's right, Nabiki Tendo, Ice Queen of Furinkan High, has friends. The idea had come to Nabiki shortly after Ranma had left. Who were the only people her age who were disliked almost as much as she was? The girls that worked for her, of course. The main reason Nabiki had chosen the girls was that they had little or no allegiances to others so they would be less likely to divulge critical information. After some prodding Nabiki realized that they were just as lonely as her so she made a proposition. At school they would be colleagues and away from school they could try their hands at friendship, no strings attached. Needless to say, Nabiki was pleasantly surprised when they all jumped on the chance to have some friends.  
  
The incessant boredom was slightly lifted by a knock at the door. When Kasumi didn't immediately return Nabiki's interest was peaked higher. Soon an entire group of people had entered the living room and who was at the head of the group? Ranma! Sure she had realized that she would never be able to be with him given their past, but Nabiki had still held a small hope that he might return to her. That hope was dashed when she saw Ranma holding the hand of a very beautiful blonde woman with some exotic features. But unlike her sister, Akane, Nabiki did not despair she was simply happy that Ranma was happy. And if the way Ranma's eyes looked was any indication, he was very happy indeed. Speaking of eyes, Ranma's pupils looked narrower and his canines looked longer. What the hell is happening to him?  
  
*********  
  
As Nodoka Saotome washed dishes she gave a sigh. It had been months since Ranma had left and she missed her little boy. After Ranma had left Nodoka took it upon herself to start to take a more active role in the lives of the Tendo daughters. It was her hope that by having a more mature adult to look to the girls, especially Kasumi, could act their age.  
  
Wondering why Kasumi was taking so long to answer the door, Nodoka left the kitchen. When she entered the family room she saw a sight that made her heart leap in joy. Her son, her darling little boy, had returned. As she looked at Ranma she noticed something that made her ever more excited, Ranma loving holding the hand of a beautiful woman. Upon seeing this, Nodoka's motherly instincts came to the fore and, in the proud tradition of all the mothers that had come before her, Nodoka Saotome threw her own little party.  
  
*********  
  
After that spectacle that Ranma had given at the high school, Genma and Soun decided to punish the disrespectful child. The punishment that they felt was most worthy was to deny Ranma of their glorious presence until he apologized and agreed to marry Akane. I.E. there were scared of Ranma and were waiting for him to crawl back to them. After several months of waiting they were beginning to wonder whether or not Ranma was going to be returning. So in tried and true Genma and Soun style they went out and searched for the wayward martial artist. They looked everywhere for Ranma, and in their pursuit they left not a single bar unsearched. Of course, once they had searched the bar they had an obligation as men to buy a drink. But alas, despite their tireless efforts they uncovered no traces of Ranma.  
  
When Ranma came back Genma and Soun jumped and began to remind that he shouldn't leave his poor, defenseless fiancé behind. As Genma was instructing Ranma on the finer points of manhood, he never noticed a young man making his way towards him until he heard the young man scream, "Die you bastard!" Genma was frozen in shock since this usually happened to Ranma and not him.  
  
*********  
  
As Yosho entered the family room of Tendo residence his blood, which had been simmering all day, began to boil. He had finally found him, one of the most evil beings in existence. As far as Yosho was concerned, Genma Saotome is one of the most vile creatures on this globe. His actions against Ranma were but one of the things Yosho holds against the man. Upon seeing Genma, all of Yosho's rage burst violently outwards and in a less than normal display of anger Yosho charged headfirst towards Genma. As he ran Yosho extended his arm and into his open hand flew the Tenchi-ken. He only ignited the blade in the final few seconds before he struck Genma. As the blade made it's way towards splitting Genma's head in two feeling of calm passed over Yosho. "Finally my love, you have been avenged."  
  
*********  
  
As the blade of the Tenchi-ken descended towards his father's skull, Ranma extended his arm and, more importantly, his will right in front of Genma. When the blue blade reached that point it impacted with the full might of a Light Hawk Wing.  
  
When his blade struck the barrier Yosho was stunned for a moment. It was in this moment that the guards fell on Yosho and restrained him. It wasn't easy for them though, for he was strong and determined. Yosho kicked and screamed at the ones who would dare hold him back. "Let me go! He must be stopped!" Yosho frantically around the room for someone who might help him, and he knew he had reached the jackpot when his eyes fell on Ranma. "Ranma, please help me. You know how much pain your father can cause, help me stop him from ever hurting others again."  
  
Ranma was shocked, here was a man that he had considered calm and collected asking him to help kill his father. Ranma shook his head, "No Yosho. I don't know what the old panda did to make you want to kill him, but I won't help you. Despite what he has put me through, he is still my father and he's the only one I got. So I'm not going to let you kill him."  
  
Upon hearing Ranma's refusal, Yosho ceased all struggling and almost collapsed in on himself. Seeing that he would no longer be uncooperative the guards sat Yosho at the dinner table. The rest of the people sat around the table, curious to know why Yosho wanted to kill Genma.  
  
The one person at the table who was the most addled by Yosho's actions was Azusa. In the entire time that he had known his son, Azusa had always thought of Yosho as a rock in a sea of insanity. His stability was one of the reasons that Azusa had chosen Yosho as his successor. To see such anger and aggression coming from Yosho just blew Azusa away.  
  
Ranma, who had just returned from calling Ukyo, sat next to Mihoshi and looked at Yosho. "Would you like to tell me why the hell you just tried to kill my father?"  
  
With his head bowed, Yosho began his tale, "It started many years ago. One day my wife and daughter were taken from this world in a horrific car crash. Among the items the authorities were able to salvage were my wife's wedding ring and a pendant that my daughter had worn since she was six. I placed these in my office next to a photograph that I had of the two so that I would never forget them. Time passed and the wounds to my heart slowly healed. It was nearing the first anniversary of their tragic death when a man and his son came to stay at my shrine. The boy was very bright and impressionable, so while I made his father work for their keep I taught the boy about honor and what it truly meant to be a man. I knew that I wouldn't have much time to change the habits that the boy's good-for- nothing father had ingrained into him, but it was my hope that something that I said might stick with the boy. And might I say, when I see you now Ranma I'm glad that my hopes were justly placed. Ranma and Genma only spent a handful of days with me when, on the anniversary of my loss, they unexpectantly left. I was in shock and despair to find that my wife's ring and my daughter's pendant disappeared at the exact same time. You two were already too far away, and I too distraught, to give chase. After that I used the governmental contacts that I had to keep tabs on you until you disappeared. As reports of your misdeeds came to me I became increasingly hateful of you. Then, when Ranma came to us and told us of what Genma had done to him, I began to realize that he couldn't be allowed to live, lest he hurt others with his selfishness." For the first time since he began talking, Yosho looked up at Genma, "Tell me Genma. How much did my family's possessions get you anyway."  
  
The assembled group turned to Genma with scowls and promises of pain in their eyes. What they saw shocked those who knew the cowardly martial artist the most. Instead of sweating and desperately looking for a away out, Genma was sitting ramrod straight with his head bowed. When he raised his head the group saw sorrow, guilt, and shame shinning in Genma's eyes. "I don't remember how much I got but I now know that it was no-where near what they were worth to you." Genma did something truly extraordinary, he bowed deeply to Yosho. "I know that I can never hope to gain your forgiveness, all I ask is for you to wait until the end of the day. Then you can do to me whatever you wish."  
  
Yosho hadn't expected this from a man he had considered irredeemable. "I think that Ranma is right, I will not take your life. But a sound trashing will suffice."  
  
Genma merely nodded his head in acceptance.  
  
The group sat in silence for several seconds as they went over what just transpired. They then heard a knock at the door. Ranma jumped up as Kasumi started to get up, "I'll get it Kasumi."  
  
"Thank you Ranma."  
  
When Ranma opened the door he was tackled by Shampoo and an out of breath Ukyo.  
  
"Ranchan why did you leave me like that!"  
  
"Ranma marry Shampoo, yes?"  
  
"Ukyo, Shampoo get off." Ranma was pleasantly surprised when they did as he asked. What he didn't know was that after what had happened at the school Shampoo and Ukyo ha decided both independently and jointly to pay closer attention to his wishes, lest they end up on the wrong end of Neko-Ranma's claws. When they got off Ranma he was able to spot Cologne standing with her cane and Happosai standing with a bucket.  
  
Cologne nodded at the boy she had grown to consider family, "Ranma, it is good to see you again."  
  
Happosai grinned at his heir, "Ranma m'boy! Care to offer an old man a final thrill," he asked as he waved the bucket around.  
  
Ranma smiled at the old pair, "It's good to see you too, Elder." He then looked at Happi, "I wouldn't do that unless you want an armful of wet male."  
  
Happosai's eyes became large and full of tears, "You got rid of my lovely Ranma-chan?"  
  
Ranma shook his head, "Nope, just the water bit." Deciding to show off somewhat, Ranma raised his hand over his head and summoned a ball of Light Hawk power. He then willed energy to come out of the ball and twirl down his body. As the bluish energy passed over him Ranma willed the change and traded height and rugged muscle for shortness and generous curves. Once the change was over, Ranma recalled the energy and placed a hand on his more rounded hip and the other hand behind his head. Then in the same kind of breathless voice Washu uses to tease Tenchi and his fiancés, Ranma said to Happosai, "Is this any better?"  
  
Happosai, who had been awed by the energy Ranma was using then his generous bust line, came out of his stupor when he heard the way Ranma spoke to him. Once he did, years of experience at being a pervert came to life and the old man jumped at those glorious mounds. The only words coming from his lips were, "Hatcha!"  
  
Unfortunately for the pervert, he landed not in a soft bosom but in the sweet embrace of a hard wood floor. The original target for his daring leap was now standing next to Cologne and laughing.  
  
From her spot next to Ranma, Cologne stood in shock. First Ranma had used an energy that she had never felt on all her three hundred years. Then being able to control his curse as easily as he breathes. And finally moving in the blink of an eye without any noticeable expenditure of energy.  
  
Ranma's laughter was brought up short by Ryoko teleporting in with full battle accouterments. She looked rather perturbed when she saw that everything was fine and no one was doing battle. While floating in front of Ranma, she asked, "What the hell is going on here."  
  
"Oh, I was just having some fun with my friends."  
  
"Fun? Damnit we thought something was wrong when we felt you powering up." Ryoko angrily replied, she the transformed back into her regular clothes. "I gotta tell the others before Washu does something," she then pointed her sword at Ranma. "And you. Never. Do. That. Again." With each word she showed her sincerity by lightly bopping Ranma in the head with her sword. Once her message was given she teleported back inside.  
  
When the floating girl disappeared that was Ukyo and Shampoo's turn to ask some questions.  
  
"Ranma-honey, who was that hussy," Ukyo asked as she fingered her spatula.  
  
"Yes tell Shampoo. Is too too bad to cheat on Amazon wife," replied Shampoo as her fingers twitched, ready to bring forth her weapon of justice.  
  
In his mind an evil grin appeared as Ranma decided that it was now time for some payback. Nothing dangerous but all the while amusing. With an air of innocence he answered Shampoo and Ukyo's question. "Why that was just my girlfriend Ryoko. Why? Is there something wrong with that?"  
  
"G-g-girlfriend?!"  
  
Ranma happily nodded, "Yep, there's more inside." He started to walk into the house but he stopped at the door and turned around. "Come on in I want to introduce you to them."  
  
Ukyo and Shampoo looked at each other and then he now vacant front door. They looked back at each other, nodded their heads, and ran inside.  
  
Right on their heels was Happosai, he had seen the beauty in the skin tight suit and he was glad. Now Ranma was saying that there was more where she came from. "Wait for me!"  
  
As she stood next to her cane Cologne chuckled. She knew that Ranma and this Ryoko person had no romantic feelings for the other. It made her proud to see him manipulate those girls like he did. It is a skill that he will need when he accepts his new role. Although, Happosai's actions didn't please her she wasn't going to let him effect her.  
  
Once Cologne was in the living room Ranma started making introductions. "Ukyo, Shampoo, I'd like you to meet my girlfriends Ayeka, Sasami, and Ryoko. My ladyfriends are Funaho, Misaki, and Washu."  
  
At Ranma's feet Happosai stood drooling at the visions of loveliness before him. If there was one skill of Ranma's that the old lecher envied, it was his ability to attract pretty ladies.  
  
Nodoka sat wide eyed, her face had a far away look and her eyes were glossed over. To her this was the second happiest day of her life. Seeing how manly her son was and envisioning all the beautiful grandchildren that she would get had left her in quite a stupor.  
  
Genma didn't know what to think. In one hand he had a sense of fatherly pride that his son had attracted all those beautiful women. On the other hand there was the pledge to think about. So in rare show of intelligence Genma Saotome wisely kept his mouth shut and patted a crying Soun on the shoulder.  
  
The women that Ranma had said were going out with him were blushing. At some point in the time they had known Ranma they had each briefly contemplated something with him. Even if some of them had just thought of a round between the sheets.  
  
At seeing the blushes on their girlfriends and wives, Tenchi and Azusa glared at Ranma. The only reason they never said a word was they knew Ranma was playing around. Of course the fact that their silence earned them brownie points with there significant others played no part in their decision to keep quiet. Nope, none at all.  
  
The Nerima fiancés were less than happy at Ranma's announcement. They announced their displeasure with a resounding, "Girlfriends!?"  
  
Ranma nodded his head, "Ryoko, Ayeka, and Sasami are girls and they're friends. Funaho, Misaki, and occasionally Washu are ladies and they're my friends too. Is that a problem?"  
  
Akane, Shampoo, and Ukyo mentally slapped themselves on the forehead. "Of course! This is Ranma we're talking about. The dumbest most naive man on the planet," they thought together. Ukyo and Shampoo geared up and got ready to lay another glomp onto Ranma. But they were stopped short when Ranma bent over and took the hand of the slightly depressed blonde.  
  
As Mihoshi listened to what Ranma had said about her friends, she grew sad. Not because Ranma had implied that he was dating everyone. No, what truly depressed the blonde-hared detective was that Ranma hadn't included her in his list of girlfriends. "I thought I am his girlfriend," thought Mihoshi. When she felt Ranma's hand on her's she looked into his blue orbs and her heart was lightened. When Ranma gently tugged on her hand, Mihoshi heeded his silent summons and stood beside him. As he slid his hand across her back and let it come to rest on her hip, Mihoshi felt a thrill of pleasure suffice her body. With her body connected to Ranma's by a simple touch Mihoshi turned in synch with Ranma's own movement so that they were both facing a woman that she could only assume was Ranma's mother.  
  
When Ranma made eye contact with his love he was happy to see her depression leave her. When she stood next to him he put his arm around her waist as easily and naturally as he breathed. This simple embrace brought Ranma more comfort and happiness than anything from his time in Nerima. He looked to his mother and said, "Mother. I'd like you to meet your future daughter-in-law and the mother of my children, Mihoshi Kuramitsu.  
  
Mother and future daughter-in-law looked at each other with wide eyes. If one could look into their eyes at that moment they would see stars in Nodoka's and hearts in Mihoshi's.  
  
As Nodoka stood to embrace the girl that her son had chosen she was filled with joy. Finally her son had chosen a woman to marry and if what she was seeing was true then this Mihoshi was more than willing and able to perform her wifely duties. The fact that this would break the bonds with the Tendos was little consequence. Her time spent at the house had shown her how unfit Akane was to wed her son. And despite Nabiki's feelings, Nodoka doubted that Ranma would marry her. The amount of bad came in no way close to the amount of good that Nabiki had accrued, and they both knew it. Kasumi, while very traditional and proper, was somewhat prudish and that would never due for her manly son.  
  
As Mihoshi moved to embrace Ranma's mother she was filled with a joy unparalleled in her life. For starters, by introducing her as daughter-in- law Ranma was reinforcing his desire to marry her, which she had been somewhat iffy about. Then adding the part about the mother of Ranma's children brought a surge of warmth to her heart. Ever since she was little Mihoshi had wanted children, but she had placed that want on the back burner when she was with Kiyone since she hated children. Mihoshi had thought that Ranma felt the same way, but now that desire was rekindled in her.  
  
As Mihoshi and Nodoka embraced, Akane, Shampoo, and Ukyo began to cry. For they knew that they had lost Ranma forever and there was nothing they could do to stop it.  
  
At seeing his darling baby girl crying Soun employed the one technique he knew would work on Ranma. The Demon Head. It was Soun's hope that it would scare Ranma into following the pledge.  
  
Unfortunately, for Soun, Mihoshi was in the room. Though the ghastly image frightened her, Mihoshi's first thought was of protecting Nodoka. So using her training as a Galaxy Police officer Mihoshi pulled her ever- present blaster and put three rounds into Soun's Demon Head.  
  
The apparition vanished and Soun plopped down on the floor. Though unharmed, Soun was shocked that his ultimate technique was defeated by a woman with a gun.  
  
With Soun seated he other occupants of the room took it as a sign to sit once again. When Akane sat down the tears that were streaming down her face refused to stop. She looked at the one that she loved above all else and asked, "Why?"  
  
Ranma looked at Akane with pity and mild surprise. When he last saw her he was positive that Akane could care less whether he lived or died and now it appeared that she loved him. If that was true then he knew what kind of hell she was probably experiencing. "Akane, I'm sorry."  
  
She interrupted Ranma, "I thought that you loved me?"  
  
"I did. And I lied on the day of the failed wedding when I said that I had never said I love you, at Jusendo. After the wedding I tried to change and make myself more acceptable to you. But even when I never said anything at all, you would still mallet me and call me a pervert. You know what I was thinking those times when you hit me with that damned mallet? A new technique, or how to solve my problems, but mostly how I could make you happy. Eventually I realized that you must hate me, if you didn't then you would have trusted me and treated me like a human being."  
  
Akane took Ranma's hands into her own. "But I do love you. I can change and be the person you want. Please, give me another chance."  
  
Ranma sadly shook his head and removed his hands from Akane's. "I'm sorry, Akane but no. You had your chance and now I'm with Mihoshi."  
  
At that Akane jumped up and hurled herself into her father's arms. Soun just hugged his baby daughter and tried to summon the anger to yell at Ranma for making his baby cry but it wouldn't come. The rational side of his psyche was telling Soun that Ranma was right. Even more disturbingly, it was telling him that he was partly to blame.  
  
When they saw Akane run from Ranma, Shampoo and Ukyo took the opportunity to confront their love. Acting as the spokeswoman for the pair, Ukyo began to talk. "What about us Ranma? You love us still right?"  
  
Seeing the desperately hopeful looks on their faces caused Ranma untold pain. "Ukyo, before I left and while I was gone I thought a lot about how I feel about you. You're a very beautiful girl and any guy would be lucky to have someone with a heart as big as yours. As I was thinking of you I tried thinking of you as a lover but I never could. When I think of you I see a good friend, a stable rock in a sea of chaos. Do you know how much it hurts to come to someone expecting a friend and all they talk about is getting into a relationship that makes you uncomfortable."  
  
Ukyo looked at Ranma sadly and tried to use her final trump card. "But what about the engagement? What about my honor? How can I be a girl again if you never marry me?"  
  
At hearing this Ranma's shoulders drooped. "Listen Ukyo, the only way you are going to be a Saotome is if Mother adopts you. The only love that I can give is the kind that brothers and sisters have. I'm sorry."  
  
Ukyo's tears refused to stop but a smile graced her features. "You know, I thought that it would hurt more but I feel at peace." Ukyo turned to Nodoka, "I don't know if I can be a Saotome like Ranma said just yet. But I wouldn't mind getting to know you better."  
  
Nodoka smiled at Ukyo, "I would wish that as well." She then extended her arms towards the crying girl. They were quickly filled with a grateful Ukyo.  
  
Shampoo knew that this was her final chance. So she donned her best smile and thrust her chest as far out as she could. All in the hopes that it would attract. "Ranma you come with Amazon wife, yes?"  
  
Ranma looked at Cologne sharply, "You never told her?"  
  
Cologne sadly shook her head, "I could not do that to her. I am sorry."  
  
Shampoo looked at the two with confusion and a growing sense of dread. "Tell Shampoo what?"  
  
Ranma looked Shampoo in the eye. "Shampoo, I'm not your husband anymore. The Amazon Council dissolved the Kiss of Marriage and made me an official Amazon."  
  
Shampoo looked to Cologne, "Is true?"  
  
It was at that moment that Cologne felt all the weight of her three hundred years pressing down upon her. "Yes, it is true. But that is not all that the Council said. Ranma it is the Council's decision that if you so choose you may make a tribe here and be it's Patriarch. The only condition the Council made was that you must choose an Elder so that they may pass on the knowledge of the other tribe. This is so that both tribes will still be connected by a common past."  
  
"Ranma no love Shampoo, why?" She was truly confused, she had done everything she knew to get Ranma. She cooked, she dressed correctly, she was unfailing in her expression of love, hell she was even a better martial artist than the other girls yet Ranma hadn't chosen her. What had she done wrong?  
  
Ranma decided on taking a different track to explain how he felt. "Shampoo, how do you feel about Mousse?"  
  
"Shampoo no like stupid Mousse."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He try to hurt Ranma and call him mean things. He touch Shampoo in not nice places."  
  
"Exactly, now how do you think I felt when the girl that was trying to kill me came here. Then she starts threatening the one I cared for. She then made that same girl forget about ever knowing me. She would jump onto me and rub me in places that I didn't want her to. She caused both me and the girl I cared for a lot of pain. Now you tell me, how am I s'posed to think about her?"  
  
Like the sun shinning down on a world that had been in total darkness, understanding came to Shampoo. And like many times of great insight she didn't want it. She was just like Mousse. Everything she had done, the potions, the glompings, the fighting, all had only served to push the one she loved further from her grasp. "So Ranma hate Shampoo."  
  
Ranma shook his head and smiled, "No I don't hate you. But I don't love you either."  
  
"Can Shampoo still be Ranma's friend," she asked hopefully.  
  
"Of course you can. But friendship is all I have to offer. I'm sorry."  
  
Shampoo was happy and was going to reply but was interrupted by Akane abruptly standing.  
  
The tears streaming down Akane's face quickly stopped and her sorrowful look was replaced with one of rage. "You're sorry? You haven't seen sorry yet you bastard. You have fun with you little floozy while she lasts Ranma. Because one day she'll be gone and you will _beg_ me to take your sorry ass back." With that declaration Akane ran out of the house so that no one could see the true depths of her sorrow.  
  
Ranma was shocked at the rage and malice Akane's words carried. Though momentarily stunned, Ranma quickly gave chase in the hopes that he could calm the raging maelstrom of emotions that was Akane.  
  
When Ranma exited the front gate he was immediately treated to an odd sight. Before him stood a women in what looked like a modified sailor fuku. Her hair was frazzled and a crazed expression adorned her features. What concerned Ranma the most was the odd staff she was carrying. The way the red orb at the end of the staff facing him did not bring a sense of tranquillity and non-aggression.  
  
"Ranma Saotome! Die! DEAD SCREAM!!"  
  
*********  
  
Authors Notes: And now concludes another chapter of my humble story. Please excuse the lateness of this chapter, certain things happened that made writing exceedingly difficult. First there was college finals so I had to study for those. For those interested I made the college president's list, a fact that I am most proud off. The next problem came in the form of Christmas. You see, for me the month of December is sacrosanct. If I'm not putting up lights I'm buying presents, baking 90% of my family's Christmas treats(Yes, some men like to bake), or dealing with a monstrous head cold (The effects of which are still making themselves known. The final problem dealt with my story directly. No, I wasn't struck down with writer's block. I was struck by something much worse, boredom. I had been turning out chapters pretty regularly and the story was beginnings to become a chore, and not a welcome relief from the tedium of life. So, to preserve my sanity and ensure that this piece of fiction would not become like the multitude of stories out there, unfinished. But now I'm back refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of this story.  
  
Now some may ask, why I am including Sailor Moon in a perfectly good Ranma Tenchi cross. The answer is, groundwork. The Sailor presence in this story sets the stage for the second book in which they will play a more prominent role. The way things are looking I should be back on the one chapter per month schedule that I had previously kept. In fact, once I finish writing these authors notes I will be starting on Chapter 6.  
  
Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Praise is always welcome.  
  
Chaos Lord King of the Wicker People 


	7. Chapter 6 Enter the Senshi

The Light Hawk War  
  
By: Chaos Lord  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to their respective owners. The concepts dealing with the Time Gates the Ultimate Good and Evil and the Forbidden belong to PacMan.  
  
********  
  
Chapter 6  
  
********  
  
Setsuna Meioh was running. As she ran there was a battle raging inside her mind. On one side there was what little remained of her sanity. This was screaming that what Setsuna was doing was wrong. That killing to create a utopia was wrong. On the other side of the metaphoric arena was the insanity that was the result of having Tokimi in her mind for thousands of years. This was the side that said that it was absolutely fine to kill for the utopia of Crystal Tokyo. And since Ranma was a threat he had to die. Unfortunately the crazy side was in greater abundance than the sane so she was set in her course. Kill Ranma Saotome.  
  
Behind the crazed Senshi of Time ran Usagi Tsukino, also known as the defender of love and justice Sailor Moon. Usagi ran as fast as her Senshi- magic enhanced legs would carry her and even that wasn't enough to catch Pluto. The leader of the Senshi was deeply concerned about Setsuna; she took it as her responsibility to ensure that everyone on the team was healthy, both mentally and physically. What she saw of Setsuna's behavior did not constitute healthy mental behavior in her book. Sure there had been among the team regarding Setsuna's sanity in the past, one time Minako had suggested that she sleeps in a cave somewhere praying to the Timegate with lit candles tied to her head and sacrificing live gophers in some kind of bizarre ceremony. Of course this theory was discussed in a calm rational manner. The form of debate used was the pillow fight and the target was Minako. As Usagi ran she was concerned that she was unable to spot Setsuna, so great was the woman's head start, but somehow she knew the correct direction to run. And if it was one thing Usagi didn't like to do it was ignoring her instincts.  
  
Even further behind Usagi was the rest of the Sailor Senshi. They ran together since their slowest runner, Ami, was the one who knew where Usagi and Setsuna were located. You may ask why Ami was the slowest runner and not Hotaru, well Hotaru was ridding on her popa's back since she still didn't have the stamina to run long distances with any noticeable speed.  
  
As Ami ran she had the Mercury Computer out and on constant scan. On the small screen there was two dots, one was purple and green the other dot, which was behind he first, was white. These dots represented Setsuna and Usagi; they were also the only way the rest of the group knew where their colleagues were. After a minute or two of running the Mercury computer chirped. Ami's fingers flew across the keyboard and when she saw the readings all she said was, "Whoa."  
  
Makoto, who was running next to Ami, heard her exclamation. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I detected an energy signal several miles off our projected path. I would have never detected it if I didn't have the computer set as fine as I did. It is just that I have never seen this signature before and the computer has no prior record of it either."  
  
Sailor Jupiter didn't like the sound of that. In her opinion new energy signals meant new enemies and a possible next chance at Death's door. "Hey Minako! Come over here!"  
  
While still maintaining her pace, the blonde-hared Senshi of Love, Sailor Venus, made her way over to Ami and Makoto. "What's up?"  
  
Ami then went and told Minako what she had told Makoto.  
  
Minako thought the news over for a moment then asked he obvious question. "Could it be an enemy?"  
  
Ami shook her head, "I don't think so. While belonging to different groups and calling their energy by different names, all of our enemies have basically used the same energy. This new pattern is definantly different and is lighter than the others."  
  
Minako quirked an eyebrow, "Lighter?"  
  
Ami looked somewhat embarrassed, "Yes, you see the energy that the Negaverse, the Black Moon Family, and even Galaxia had a certain set wavelengths that, when visible, produce the color black or a derivative there of. The energy pattern that I detected has a wave length that is more in line with the "blue" end of the electromagnetic spectrum."  
  
Haruka, who had been listening in on Ami, Makoto, and Minako, looked at Ami increaduosly. "So are you saying that this energy you detected doesn't "look" evil?"  
  
Ami blushed in embarrassment, "Yes."  
  
Haruka shook her head. While she was a firm member of the team and respected any opinions or theories a member may come up with, some of the stuff they came up with really made her question that stance. Minako's gopher theory about Setsuna and now evil being a certain color being some of those things.  
  
"Well Minako, what do we do," asked Makoto.  
  
The secondary leader of the Senshi thought greatly about this. Now some people who knew Minako Aino would say that she is incapable of the kind of thought necessary to make an important decision. They would be wrong. Minako wasn't stupid; in fact she was very very intelligent. Not as much as Ami but she is pretty high up there. The reason for her rather stereotypical behavior, fun. As Sailor V, Minako had to do some hard things and make tough choices but as Sailor Venus she could act carefree and be happy. But when it comes down to it, the second in command was more than capable of making decisions. "We should keep following Setsuna and Usagi. If this energy is dangerous then it'll probably end up attacking us sooner or later. But we should stick to our current path so we can back Usagi if she needs it."  
  
The Senshi who were running beside Venus nodded in agreement. With a course of action decided the defenders of love and justice looked ahead and added some more speed to their gait.  
  
*********  
  
When Setsuna reached the building across the street from where "he" lived she snarled. She could feel the subtle shifting in the Timestream that was occurring around the Tendo Dojo and knew that her prey was here. As Setsuna grew up, the princess of Pluto went on several trips to the planet Earth. She would visit the various locals and exalt in the wonder of the cradle of humanity. One of the sites she made sure to see was the temple at the location of present day Nerima. This temple served as a research station so that the magic users of the could study the nexus of chaos energy that resided in the area. Though she usually got sick afterwards the unimaginable beauty of the site constantly beckoned her. As she grew older it was discovered that she had a unique ability, as there were those that were so entrenched in chaos that their very presence altered the laws of probability, there were others so grounded in reality that any fluctuations in time could not affect them. Setsuna was one of these people; such was her stability that she could see forward into the future a handful of minutes. One could liken it to the speedboat and the boulder. The speedboat travels down the river creating waves and unnatural patterns. Where as the boulder sits firmly in the river as the current flows around it. More prevalent than the chaos bringers, the people of order on a whole were less powerful. Sensing Setsuna's temporal stability the then current Senshi of Pluto approached her with the offer of becoming the next Sailor Pluto.  
  
When offered Setsuna was filled with joy. She had always wanted to be a Senshi but she was never properly attuned to a given element. So when she was offered the chance she jumped on it, never for an instant listening to the warning that the elder Pluto gave. After several hundred years Setsuna realized the price she paid to attain her wish. While all Senshi are immortal they are only so until they give there powers to another. So a given Senshi would spend several hundred years at their post then grow tired of their longevity. They would look for a relatively short time to find a person with the proper alignments, train them, pass on the power, then live for a normal amount of time.  
  
For the Senshi of Pluto this proved exceedingly difficult, since a Senshi of Pluto must be firmly rooted in time. The last person good enough was about four thousand years before Setsuna. With the fall of the Silver Millennium and Tokimi's possession, Setsuna was unwilling and unable to find a replacement.  
  
Tokimi's influence only enhanced the natural uneasiness Setsuna had for those like Ranma. So when she saw her prey exit the house to follow a running girl, Setsuna made her move. She jumped to the ground and by the time Ranma noticed her, the Garnet Orb at the top of the Time Staff was crackling with power.  
  
*********  
  
"Ranma Saotome! Die! DEAD SCREAM!!"  
  
The instant the purple colored sphere of energy left the staff the lady was carrying, Ranma was in motion. He jumped over the ball of energy and landed behind his obviously insane attacker. I mean, who would attack someone wearing a skimpy sailor fuku?  
  
Setsuna was shocked that Ranma had jumped over her attack. Usually the enemies that the Senshi fight are shocked into motionless when are they attacked out of the blue. So she never expected that Ranma would jump over her Dead Scream.  
  
When Ranma landed behind the green-hared woman he got ready to deliver a blow sufficient enough to knock her out. But before he could the woman turned and tried to strike him with her oddly decorated staff.  
  
As Setsuna swung the Timekey at Ranma she was unaware that there was a metal pole directly behind him. When Ranma jumped over her swing, instead of meeting soft flesh, the Timekey hit the unyielding metal pole. This resulted in two things, one, a dent pole, and two, Setsuna dropping the Timekey.  
  
When the woman dropped her staff, Ranma took his chance. First he hit her in the stomach. Then as she was doubled over, Ranma struck her in the back of the head knocking her out. If any of the people that knew Ranma from his time in Nerima might be asking why Ranma is hitting a woman. Well in his time at the Masaki compound Ranma had come to realize two things. One was that women could be just as strong or powerful as a man could, if not more so. The other thing that Ranma realized was that many of his fights that had gotten truly dangerous to others was his fault. He should not have tried to reason with his opponent, he should have gone for the quick knock out. Then after the danger to himself and non-combatants was gone _then_ figure out his attacker's motives.  
  
Several seconds later Tenchi, Ryoko, and Mihoshi ran outside. "Ranma! What's wrong? We heard an explosion and then what sounded like metal hitting metal," said Tenchi.  
  
"This crazy woman attacked me out of nowhere," replied Ranma as he pointed to his now unconscious attacker.  
  
*********  
  
When Usagi reached the final building she saw what she had feared. From the crater it looked like Setsuna had already tried to attack Ranma. Apparently he was as good as Makoto said since Setsuna was lying on the ground. When the group of people surrounding Setsuna began to move towards the Senshi's prone form Usagi yelled, "Wait!"  
  
*********  
  
When Ranma, Tenchi, Ryoko, and Mihoshi heard the shout of, "Wait!" they turned to look at the source and instantly slipped into positions that they could attack or defend.  
  
When Usagi landed in front of the assembled group she said, "Eeep." What she saw was a floating woman with spiky hair and red energy crackling in the palm of her hands. One of the men had a blue energy sword and he looked like he knew how to use it. The man that she assumed was Ranma was in a low martial arts stance. The way his hands flexed and his oddly shaped eyes glinted told Usagi that this man was a dangerous predator. But what shocked her most was the blonde that had a gun pointed at her head. Never in her life had she had a weapon such as that pointed at her by such a component looking wielder.  
  
Deciding that descretion was the better part of valor Sailor Moon threw her hands into the air. "Please. Don't hurt my friend, she's not acting like herself. I'm sorry if she hurt anyone."  
  
Ranma looked into the girl's eyes and saw a kind heart and worry over possible injuries. Seeing that, for now, she bore him no ill will, Ranma stood up. "We weren't going to hurt your friend. We just wanted to know who she is and why she attacked me. So, who are you?"  
  
Usagi lowered her arms and stared at Ranma. How can he not know who she was, there was enough publicity about them that even a small child at least knew what a Sailor Senshi looked like. At first Usagi had enjoyed being in she public eye, but that enjoyment quickly changed to a desire for anonymity once Ami had shown her some of the Sailor Moon hentai out there. "I'm Sailor Moon, you know the leader of the Sailor Senshi. Haven't you heard of us?" Usagi was shocked at seeing everyone but the blonde shake his or her heads.  
  
Mihoshi stood there in thought for several seconds trying to remember where she had heard those titles from, "Hmmm."  
  
Ranma turned to Mihoshi, "You heard about these Sailor Senshi before?"  
  
Mihoshi nodded her head, "Yeah, I was flipping through the channels one day and I saw a report about them. I thought it was just a preview for a new hentai movie. I mean, what kind of super hero fights evil in a two inch mini skirt?"  
  
Usagi blushed and tugged on her skirt in a vain effort to make it longer. She had just made herself forget about that and now this Mihoshi person brought the embarrassment back. Before she could come to their fashion defense Usagi heard a cry come from behind her.  
  
"Sailor Moon!"  
  
When Ryoko saw the rest of the Sailor Suited Warriors of Love and Justice she exclaimed, "Christ! There's more of them!?"  
  
The remaining Senshi jumped to the ground and ran up to their leader. Though none of them were making any threatening gestures several were ready to throw an attack should the need arise.  
  
"Sorry guys. I wasn't able to stop Pluto."  
  
"Usagi that's him. That's the guy from my dream," said Rei.  
  
"Is Pluto ok," asked Hotaru.  
  
"Yeah, Ranma just knocked her out but don't heal her. We don't need to make a worse impression on Ranma than we already have."  
  
The conscious Senshi all nodded in agreement. It was rare, but sometimes Usagi could really be a great leader.  
  
"Excuse me? Why don't we take your friend inside and we can make some formal introductions. Besides it looks like you want to talk to us," asked Tenchi. He was getting uncomfortable with standing around in the open with a group of scantily clad schoolgirls.  
  
Usagi nodded, "That sounds like a good idea."  
  
Ranma picked up the unconscious girl's staff. "I'll carry your friend but can one of you Senshi take her staff? I don't want her waking up and trying to blast me again."  
  
"I'll carry it," said the Senshi with the aqua hair.  
  
Ranma handed the staff to the Senshi and picked up the one that had attacked him. He carried her inside the compound and walked around the edge of the house. Once he reached the verandah next to the family room he gently laid her on the wood floor. When he looked up he immediately sought out Kasumi. "Kasumi can you get something to make her comfortable?"  
  
Kasumi smiled at Ranma, "Of course." She then headed out to fetch a pillow and blanket.  
  
Nodoka took this moment to question her son. "Ranma, did you catch Akane? And who is this woman that you brought in?"  
  
"I lost Akane and while I was looking for her this girl attacked me."  
  
When the rest of the Senshi everyone heard someone squeal, "OH MY GOD!"  
  
When they turned to the source of the outburst they saw that Nabiki was running towards the Senshi. "It's the Sailor Senshi!" Nabiki stopped in front of the group and looked around for several seconds, studying the various Senshi until she spotted the one she was looking for. To all those present, even those with enhanced visual acuity, it looked like Nabiki disappeared from where she was standing only to reappear in front of the Senshi with the blue hair and blue-trimmed fuku. Out of no-where Nabiki pulled a book and a pen. "Sailor Mercury, you're my favorite Senshi, can I have your autograph?"  
  
Sailor Mercury looked at her fellow Senshi who shrugged their shoulders. She looked back to Nabiki, "Sure, I guess. What is your name?"  
  
Nabiki handed her idol the book; "I'm Nabiki Tendo."  
  
Ranma blinked at Nabiki's display. He slid up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Uh, Nabiki? You know who these guys are?"  
  
Nabiki whirled around and looked at Ranma incredulously. "You mean to tell me that you never heard of the Sailor Senshi?!"  
  
"Nope. Never heard of them. Until now that is."  
  
"I swear Ranma, sometimes I worry about you." She then gestured to the Senshi behind her. "This is Sailor Mercury, she controls ice and is the brains of the group."  
  
Zip  
  
Nabiki was now next to the Senshi in red. "This is Sailor Mars, her element is fire and she's the Senshi's spiritualist. Next to her is Sailor Venus, she is the Senshi of love and she used to be the crime fighter, Sailor V."  
  
Zip  
  
Nabiki was next to the Senshi with the long ponytails. "This is Sailor Moon, I'm not sure what her power is but she's the apparent leader of the group. Next to her is Sailor Saturn, from what I can tell her power is massive explosions. She has also been seen healing people."  
  
Zip  
  
Nabiki was now next to the Senshi in green. "This is Sailor Jupiter, she can control lightning and plants. She is apparently the Senshi's resident martial artist."  
  
Zip  
  
"The Senshi who has been leering at my but is Sailor Uranus, she has an earth based attack. The Senshi who is now glaring at Uranus is Sailor Neptune she is the Senshi of water." Nabiki was brought up short as she began to realize something. She looked over at the still unconscious woman on the verandah and gasped. She ran over to Ranma and punched him in the arm. "Ranma you asshole! You knocked out Sailor Pluto!"  
  
Ranma rubbed the spot where Nabiki punched him. "She attacked me and I defended myself. Besides, who the hell do you know so much about these guys when I never heard of them?"  
  
Nabiki stared at Ranma for several seconds before hitting herself in the forehead. "Martial arts is all that registers in that brain of yours, isn't it?" Nabiki then felt a tapping on her shoulder, when she turned she saw that Sailor Mercury was holding out her book.  
  
"Here is your book Miss. Tendo."  
  
Nabiki took the book from Mercury as a Christian would take a bible that was written by Jesus. "Thank you." The book and pen then disappeared to wherever she had pulled it from.  
  
"Now that Nabiki has introduced the Senshi, maybe we can go inside and make the rest of the introductions. I also want to know what you need to talk to me about." With that Ranma headed indoors and was closely followed by Nabiki and the Senshi, most of which were forced to sit on the verandah. Once everyone was seated Ranma began to speak again, "Since I haven't introduced myself to you girls I'll start with myself. I'm Ranma Saotome, heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."  
  
Happosai raised his hand. "Hold on a minute Ranma. You are no longer an heir to one school of my art. Since you have apparently mastered the Neko-Ken and have an excellent start on teaching Mihoshi, I proclaim you a master of my art and the heir to the true Anything Goes school. With all the privileges and responsibilities that come with it."  
  
Ranma bowed, "Thank you master. As I was saying, I'm Ranma. The short guy who is leering at you girls is the Grandmaster of my art Happosai. The man with the beard is Emperor Azusa Masaki, of the Juraian Empire. The women to either side of Azusa are his wives Funaho and Misaki." He then pointed to Yosho. "This is Azusa and Funaho's son Yosho. The guy with the two girls latched to him is Yosho's grandson Tenchi Masaki. The girl on his right arm is his fiancé, Ayeka Masaki. The girl on his left is his other fiancé Ryoko Hakubi, the wildest woman in the Universe. The woman with the red hair is Ryoko's mother, Washu Hakubi, the Goddess of Knowledge and Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe. The girl beside her is Ayeka's sister Sasami. The creature on her head is Ryo- Oh-Ki. Give her some carrots and she'll be your friend for life." At that he produced a carrot and tossed it to the cabbit.  
  
Seeing her favorite thing in the universe Ryo-Oh-Ki dove for the carrot and caught it in mid-air. By the time she landed on the ground the carrot was gone.  
  
While watching Ryo-Oh-Ki's antics Ranma smiled and put his arm around Mihoshi's waist. "This beautiful girl next to me is my girlfriend Mihoshi Kuramitsu." This announcement earned a drooping of shoulders on the part of several of the Senshi.  
  
Ranma pointed at Nodoka; "This is my mother Nodoka Saotome and beside her is my father Genma. The man that is silently crying is my father's best friend and owner of this house, Soun Tendo. The woman to his left is his oldest daughter, Kasumi, the best big sister anyone can ask for. Next to Kasumi is her sister Nabiki and up till about five minutes ago she was one of the most rational people in Nerima.  
  
Next to my mother is Ukyo Kounj, the best Okonomiyaki chef in Japan and my best friend." Ranma then pointed to Cologne. "The old ghoul next to Happosai is Cologne, Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku." The addition of the "old ghoul" modifier to Cologne earned Ranma a bop on the head but there were smiles on the part of both parties. "The purple-haired girl next to Cologne is her granddaughter Shampoo and one of the best female fighters of her tribe."  
  
All of the people that Ranma introduced either bowed their head or bowed completely upon introduction.  
  
"Well that's everyone. Now why did you want to see me," asked Ranma.  
  
Before Sailor Moon could answer, Sailor Uranus tapped her on the shoulder. "Maybe we should go somewhere a little more secure than this."  
  
Washu heard the comment and immediately pulled up her computer. The spectral keyboard was noticed by Nabiki and Sailor Mercury who both looked at it in wonder and want.  
  
When Washu typed the final keystroke Mercury's own computer went haywire. It was instantly open and Mercury was busy inputting commands and calling up information.  
  
Sailor Moon looked over at her resident genius, "What is it?"  
  
"Somehow all the readings for outside of this compound have just vanished!"  
  
"Oh that's my fault. Uranus had said she wanted a more secure location so I pulled the house and yard out of phase with the rest of the universe. Now people can only see us but as for anything else we're not here."  
  
"Um no offense but I meant somewhere were we could talk to Ranma alone," said Uranus in the nicest possible voice.  
  
"Anything you have to say to me you say to everyone. There are no secrets here and anything that should remain private will stay that way," replied Ranma.  
  
Everyone from Nerima but Ranma was now staring at Nabiki. She looked around at the accusatory faces incredulously. "What?! I can keep a secret when I can see it's important. And this is important."  
  
Before those that were staring at Nabiki could turn on him Genma addressed the group. "I will keep what is said here a secret as well." This action surprised those who knew him since he usually waits until after an accusation is made to defend himself.  
  
Ranma looked at the Senshi expectantly, "Well?"  
  
Usagi shook herself out of the stupor brought about by the in jokes and comments on the part of the others. She turned to Sailor Mars and whispered, "Do you want me to tell them or do you?" She could see how much this vision had troubled her friend and wished to spare her any mental anguish.  
  
Rei shook her head. "Thanks, but it's my vision I should be the one to tell him." She then looked at Ranma. "Ranma, I can get visions of the future. Usually they are vague but they are usually what determines whether we live or die. This most recent vision that I had has been the most vivid of them. In it I'm in the future and a great utopia has been destroyed. The rest of the Senshi are there but they have all been horribly killed. Then a man appeared in my dream and showed me a tall woman with brown hair wearing oddly arranged and colored robes. Her eyes were very beautiful but they were cold, dead. In front of the woman there was two men and one woman and they were fighting. One man was wearing white robes, the other black. The woman's robes were red. The white man and the red woman were battling the man in black. Eventually red made a mistake and black stabbed her through the chest. White screamed and cut off black's head but he was then killed by the woman. Now that I have met all of you I would have to say that the woman in red was Ryoko and the man in white was Tenchi."  
  
As Tenchi listened to what Sailor Mars was saying his heart grew increasingly colder. He could see where this was going and from the increasing pressure on his arms so could Ayeka and Ryoko. When Mars confirmed his beliefs Tenchi's heart stopped. He looked at his loves and he could tell that each was trying as hard as he to hold back the tears.  
  
Before sadness could spread any further through the ranks of the Masaki group Rei continued talking. "But there is still hope. The man who showed me the battle said that there was a way to prevent the deaths of you and my friends and save the future. He showed me the image of a man and he said, 'Look carefully and remember this man's face. For he is Ranma Saotome and it is he who will determine the fate of the universe. Meet him, gain his trust, but no harm should come to him.' Somehow Ranma is going to help save the universe sometime in the future."  
  
Usagi then took up the conversation. "And that's why we're here, to protect you from harm."  
  
"Ranma, I think we should believe them," said Washu.  
  
Ranma looked at her in confusion, "Why?"  
  
Instead of answering Ranma, Washu looked at Mars. "Tell me, the woman that you saw kill Tenchi did she have large yellow jewels on either side of her chest? And was there green bands that circled her throat and ended on her cheeks?"  
  
Sailor Mars' face grew distant as she tried to call an image of the woman from her vision. After several seconds of thought she nodded her head, "Yes she did. How did you know that?"  
  
"Tokimi," breathed Washu.  
  
At hearing that name Sasami grew scared and latched onto her mother. The memories of Tsunami's torture at the hands of Tokimi were still there despite the fact that Washu had surpressed the mental link the she and Tsunami had shared.  
  
When they heard what Washu had said Ayeka was once again filled with despair. "How could they beat someone with ten Light Hawk Wings?"  
  
When Washu said the name, Tokimi, Usagi was surprised to see half of the people tense up. "Who is Tokimi?"  
  
"My sister, and the Goddess of Chaos," replied Washu  
  
Now that caused some concern with the gathered Senshi. They had fought Chaos before and it was only by luck that Usagi had defeated her. And Usagi's victory had only occurred after everyone else had died. How would they defeat a goddess of chaos? "Can you tell us about her Miss Washu," asked Sailor Mercury.  
  
Oh she was so tempted. Had this been a less formal meeting she would probably already have done it but right now it wasn't right. Next time though . . it's plasma cannon time. "My sisters Tsunami, Tokimi, and I originate from another universe. When we came into existence we each knew what our domain was. In the universe that we hail from the laws that govern space, time, up, down, good, and evil were radically different. Things that we take for granted like knowing that when you walk out your door a giant meteor won't crash down on you would happen. That is were the Gods and Goddesses came in, we served as the physical and metaphysical anchor that allowed all those laws to exist in a meaningful way.  
  
When Tokimi, Tsunami, and I came into existence, Tokimi's area of influence was Chaos. Chaos is not an evil thing like many make it to be. Chance, randomness, these things are necessary for life and all things to exist. It is when the amount of chaos outweighs the amount of order that chaos is bad. If we didn't have chaos, life would be rather boring.  
  
Like Tsunami and I, Tokimi had a people that she maintained and protected. These people had neither the awesome power of Tsunami's people, nor the massive intelligence of mine. What they lacked in power and genius, they made up for in passion and a strict honor code. The arts that they produced were absolutely beautiful and their martial artists were beyond compare. Tokimi loved her people absolutely, and that is why what was to come hurt her so badly. A man came to our realm and through both an army he raised and his own power destroyed our universe. A handful of the more powerful Gods and Goddesses were able to escape but Tsunami was the only one to be able to save any of her people. The death of her people and her home made Tokimi unstable and it would seem that the twenty thousand years since I last saw my poor sister have only increased her instability." By the time Washu was finished she was even sadder than before.  
  
"What do you mean Miss Washu," asked Hotaru.  
  
Yosho decided to answer for Washu. "A little over two weeks ago Tokimi and her knight, Zander, invaded my planet of origin, Jurai, and captured our goddess Tsunami. Now we must go to Jurai and try to free my people."  
  
Usagi looked at Ranma, "Are you going too?"  
  
"I have to go. If it wasn't for my stupidity and narrow mindness then Jurai wouldn't be in danger."  
  
For the first time since this meeting started Azusa felt as if he needed to say something. "Ranma, what happened to Jurai is not your fault. Your intentions were honorable. There is no shame in a warrior who decides that enough is enough and they will no longer fight. What truly shows your courage is the willingness to right a perceived wrong." Though his words were for Ranma, they were also for Yosho. Since he became stranded on this world Azusa was forced to face certain truths that he never had wanted to admit. His people would never have allowed Yosho to become emperor. At the time people looked down on interracial marriages and had almost not made emperor himself due to his marriage to Funaho. But he held true to his belief that Juraians should mix their blood with that of other peoples. If anyone needed further proof then look at Tenchi. Never before had a there been a person capable of wielding the Light Hawk Wings. But with his mixed heritage Tenchi was somehow able to do just that.  
  
Yosho was shocked at his father's words. He had never heard his father direct such kind words to anyone other than his mother or Misaki. And while others might have missed the secondary meaning behind his father's words Yosho did not. Unable to express himself meaningfully with words Yosho simply bowed his head to his father.  
  
Sailor Moon rose to her fully seated height, "If Ranma is going then we're going."  
  
From behind her came a weak, "No."  
  
All the Senshi turned in the direction of the voice and saw that Sailor Pluto was awake and vainly trying to sit up. Usagi was instantly by her Senshi's side, "Lay back down and get some rest."  
  
Setsuna shook head; "No, you mustn't trust Ranma. We must stop him before he kills us all."  
  
Usagi placed a hand on the ill Senshi and she sadly shook her head. It pained her to see one of her Senshi reduced to such a state, especially one who, up until now, had been such a stable presence among their group. "Why do you want to kill him so badly?"  
  
Tears were streaming down the Senshi of Pluto's face. A testament to her instability and her profound need to stop Ranma. "He's using the Forbidden, we have to stop him before he destroys everything. Please, if not for me, do it for Usa."  
  
Rei took up the conversation. "I've been having visions. They say that if we don't protect Ranma EVERYTHING will be destroyed."  
  
Setsuna shook her head, "What if your visions are wrong? I know he's using the Forbidden and I know it will destroy us. It has been written."  
  
A small voice prevented Setsuna from saying anything else. "What about me? Prophecy said that the Senshi of Saturn would destroy everything," said a sad Hotaru. "But I didn't, I saved the world. And if it wasn't for Sailor Moon then I would have died doing so. What if this is another case of a false prophecy?"  
  
"But," Setsuna said weakly.  
  
"Enough, we will not hurt Ranma. And if you continue to try then I will relieve you of your duties as a Senshi until you realize that Ranma isn't our enemy. Is that clear?" The authority that rang though Usagi's voice stunned those who knew her, despite the fact that this wasn't the first time something like this has happened.  
  
The only answer that the Senshi of Pluto gave was to lay back down and silently sob over her inability to convince her fellows what the correct course of action was.  
  
During the entire time that the Senshi talked amongst each other no one else spoke. For each was either in their own thought or unwilling to intrude in an obviously private moment. But when the woman who attacked Ranma failed to convince the rest of the Senshi to follow in her footsteps, Washu went into action. Before her appeared her computer and she typed on it for several seconds. When she was done a small black hole opened up and out of it came a small round device. Washu took the device over to the blue-haired Sailor Mercury. "Here, place this on your friend's temple. It will induce a peaceful sleep."  
  
Mercury took the device and nodded gratefully, "Thank you Miss Washu." Mercury went over to Setsuna and placed the device where Washu told her. She was rewarded with the ending of Setsuna's tears and a peaceful look that engulfed her tear streaked face.  
  
With Setsuna once again in the blissful grasp of unconsciousness, the rest of the Senshi returned to where they were previously sitting.  
  
Ranma looked into the resolute faces of the Senshi and addressed Sailor Moon. "So, do you still want to come with us?"  
  
Sailor Moon nodded, "If you're going, then yes."  
  
"Fine, come back tomorrow around noon and we'll talk about our plans and see what you've got."  
  
"Ok, we'll be back tomorrow. But one of us has to stay to make sure that you are safe," replied Usagi.  
  
Hotaru tapped on Haruka's shoulder. "Can I stay Papa?"  
  
Haruka thought about it for several seconds. During her deliberations she looked at Sasami. What she saw was a girl who was of a similar age to Hotaru and while she was probably loved left and right, Haruka doubted that the girl had few friends her own age. Haruka looked back at Hotaru, "Sure."  
  
Hotaru's face lit up. "Thank you. But, what about changing back?"  
  
Usagi answered for Haruka. "Wait until Ranma says it is safe, ok. If we're going to be spending time around him he's going to need to know who we really are." She then stood and was joined by the rest of the Senshi. "Ranma, we're going to leave Sailor Saturn here. It's up to you on who knows who she truly is ok."  
  
Ranma mentally grumbled at having girls in outfits that made them every pervert's fantasy guarding but he nodded his head. "Don't worry I'll make sure only the right people know who she really is."  
  
"Thank you. See you tomorrow." With that the Senshi left.  
  
*********  
  
"Ranma, it's getting late maybe we should go home for tonight," said Misaki.  
  
"But," Ranma weakly replied. When someone like Misaki wants you to do something then you better comply. Despite that Ranma wasn't ready to leave; he still wanted to talk to his mother.  
  
"Ranma, why don't the ones who want to stay do so," said Washu. "The ones who want to go can use a gate."  
  
Ranma lit up, "You're right! Why don't we do that? Ok, everyone who's going to leave, stand up."  
  
Everyone in the Masaki group, including the guards, stood up. The only ones that remained seated were Ranma and Mihoshi.  
  
Seeing the totality of those who wanted to leave Ranma grumbled, "Well I feel special."  
  
Every one but Washu began to walk towards the entrance. Seeing that the red-haired genus wasn't following Tenchi stopped and turned to her. "Washu are you coming?"  
  
Washu made a shooing guesture, "You guys go on without me. There is something that I have to do here first."  
  
"Ok, see you when we get home." With that they left.  
  
Washu, who was still standing, looked at Kasumi. "Do you have any doors that people don't regularly use?"  
  
Kasumi stopped trying to get her father to calm down and stood up. "Yes we do, it's in the dojo. Why do you ask?"  
  
Washu just shrugged, "Oh I need to borrow it for a little while."  
  
Kasumi smiled, "Ok, I'll show you where the door is at."  
  
Cologne sensed that Ranma needed some time with his parents and stood up. "Shampoo come along, we must go back to the restaurant."  
  
Ranma smiled at Cologne's sensitivity, "Thank you elder. Will you join us tomorrow?"  
  
"Of course I will. Besides, I need to continue your training." At that she turned and pogoed away. But before she got out of hearing range she called back, "Come along Happi."  
  
Happosai stood up, "Well Ranma m'boy see you tomorrow." As he followed Cologne Happosai began to form a plan. There were panties and bras out there that were crying out to be saved by his divine presence.  
  
Ukyo also decided to take her leave, "Well Ranma, I've got to get going before Konatsu sells my shop."  
  
All that were left in the room was Soun, Nabiki, Nodoka, Genma, Ranma, Mihoshi, and Sailor Saturn. Saturn got up and moved over by Setsuna so that she could give Ranma his privacy and at the same time complete her mission.  
  
Now that they were as alone as they were going to get, Ranma addressed his parents. "Mother, Pop, Mihoshi and I want to get married, and while it won't stop us from getting together we'd like to have your blessing."  
  
"Ranma, you would defy me and ruin our family's honor just so you can marry this girl," asked Genma carefully.  
  
Ranma reached out took Mihoshi's hand and looked into his father's eyes defiantly. "I love Mihoshi more than anything, and if it means that I have to give up every shred of honor I have then I will. I won't hurt her because of honor."  
  
Nodoka was shocked and scared as she looked at her husband's stern visage. She shocked because Ranma was willing to forego all honor for love. And Nodoka was scared because Genma might kick Ranma out of the clan. Had this been several months ago Nodoka would have left with her son. But after Ranma had left, a change had come over her husband. Slowly but surely he has been changing from the dishonorable fiend that he had become and was making himself more like the caring, loving man that she had married.  
  
Genma sat and stared at his son. Though his face was stern and impassable, inside he was proud. In all the years he had taught his son the one lesson Ranma failed to learn is self-reliance. Sure, Ranma could live on his own but once he got near Genma he ended up deferring to his father's judgment. And of all subjects to make a stand on Genma was glad his son had chosen love. Sure when he first dragged Ranma to Tendo's place the concept of love meant little to him. But now that he has been spending time with his beloved wife Genma realized why it was so hard to stay on the road in those early days. Genma sat in silence for several minutes just to make the boy sweat. Despite the waiting he had put everyone through he had already made up his mind. It had come down to a choice, choose to live with honor and kick his son out of the clan or live in dishonor and keep his son and maybe regain something he had lost all those years ago, his son's respect. "I have only one thing to say, Mihoshi, welcome to the family," by the time Genma was finished a large grin lit up his face.  
  
Nodoka and Ranma were so happy that they were unable to say anything so the first thing anyone heard after Genma's decision was Soun's shocked gasp.  
  
Soun Tendo sat and stared at his friend in shocked horror. How could he give his blessing to any union that didn't unite the schools? When Genma turned to him all Soun could manage was a weak, "Why?"  
  
Genma sadly looked at his long-time friend. Together they had been through many a peril yet it seems that this will destroy that friendship. "I couldn't loose him. I'm sorry, but I can't loose my family."  
  
Soun could understand Genma's need to keep his family. But what about the schools? "But the schools?"  
  
"Mr. Tendo," said Mihoshi. "As I understand the agreement between you and Mr. Saotome, it was meant to join yours and his branches of the Anything Goes school, correct?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well that can still be done. Ranma has already started to teach me his half of the style. Why don't you teach me your half, then I can teach him and we can teach our children." Mihoshi was in her element. During her time as Kiyone's partner, Mihoshi became a very good mediator, solving minor disputes that crop up in day to day life.  
  
Soun's shoulders slumped, "Why won't you marry one of my daughters Ranma? Aren't they good enough?"  
  
Ranma shook his head, "That's not what this about. You raised some beautiful and intelligent daughters. Had the right things happened I'm sure that I would have ended up with one of them. But that doesn't matter because I'm with Mihoshi, and there is nothing you can do to change that. I just hope that you and Pops can stay as friends."  
  
"What Genma, of course we will remain friends. All of those years with the master forged a friendship stronger than any metal." Soun abruptly stood, "Right Saotome!"  
  
Genma stood and joined his friend, "Quite right Tendo."  
  
As one the duo began to walk off, "Now let us celebrate the school!" Those who were in the room were not quite sure who made the last statement.  
  
Before they could leave the room Genma stopped, "Soun you go on. There is something I must do and then I will join you."  
  
Soun nodded solemnly, "Very well, I shall see you in the normal place." With that he left the room and headed to the nearest bar.  
  
As those who remained in the room watched Genma the ones that knew him were weary, he was speaking formally. Sometimes this was good sometimes this was bad.  
  
"My son, Happosai may have made you the master of his school but there is one thing you have yet to learn from mine." He pulled out two scrolls, "I give to you the Saotome Forbidden techniques, I know you will use them wisely."  
  
Ranma stood and took the scrolls with pride, "I will."  
  
"Good. Now, if you will excuse me. I've got some celebrating to do." When he was done Genma was off like a flash.  
  
Ranma shook his head and pocketed the scrolls to whatever spooky place martial artists put things. He then turned to Nodoka; "Well we have to be going."  
  
At that everyone in the room stood. "So soon, you just got here," said Nodoka, her voice full of regret.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm sure that you'll be seeing much more of me from now on." He then looked to his right to Sailor Saturn. "You ready to go?"  
  
"Yes. But what about Pluto," asked Hotaru as she pointed to the sleeping Senshi.  
  
"She can stay the night, I'll make sure that she comfortable," replied Kasumi who had just returned from showing around Washu. "Oh Ranma, your friend left."  
  
"Thanks Kasumi. Well, see you guys tomorrow." Ranma turned and headed o the entryway to retrieve his slippers and was followed by Mihoshi and Sailor Saturn.  
  
*********  
  
To say that the goddess Tokimi was furious would be placing a limit on how truly, madly, and deeply pissed she was. The only reason the planet Jurai still existed was that blowing up the planet put a crimp in her whole, have Tsunami's people worship me, plan. After ranting for several hours Tokimi regained some semblance of control. Mind you none of the woman's sanity returned she was just less outwardly angry.  
  
The first order of business was to remove herself from those she was effecting on Earth. Unlike Setsuna, whom she had complete control over, the people who actually spent all their time on that annoying orb were harder to control. Not because the people she needed to use were heavily fortified mentally, in fact for most of those that she controlled, a rat with a cheese grater could do the same thing as she was. It was the brothers, they claimed Earth as their own and there was no way Tokimi was going to mess with them. She wasn't that crazy. So she had to enact her whole "Kill Ranma" plan differently than she would have liked. At first Tokimi had tried making it so that Genma seemed so stupid that Nodoka would never want to marry him. When that didn't work she tried increasing the stress that Nodoka put on honor. That plan worked and Genma left with Ranma. Now all Tokimi needed to do was keep Genma's stupidity quotient high and feed him a string of screwed up training techniques. The Neko- Ken, speed training by dodging swarms of angry bees, throwing Ranma down a cliffside to increase the boy's resistance to punches. Admittedly the whole Neko-Ken thing seemed like a good thing at the time. After all it should kill him right? But did that kill him? Did any of that kill him? Oh hell no! It just made the bastard even stronger and gave him a greater will to live.  
  
So Tokimi tried a different path. She used her pawn, Setsuna to look in to Ranma's future to see if anyone else could be manipulated into killing Ranma. What she saw shocked her. At first he had a rocky relationship with a Tendo sister but they ended up together and happy. Then all of his potential rivals or fiancés ended up as Ranma's friends and everyone was happy. It really pissed her off. If everyone were happy then Ranma would manage to meet the Silver Millennium brats and Tsunami's people.  
  
So Tokimi had to stop this problem. She used what little control she could exert over people to cloud their minds. Now all those who met Ranma would put him in a group and that would be how they interact with him. While this is how most people normally are Tokimi made it harder for them to look past that initial placement. Next she took certain personality traits or vices that may serve her uses and dramatically increased them. Thereby turning someone who would normally be sweet and caring and have only a mild temper into a vicious person who crushed anything that angered them. It was quite simple, increase this person's anger, and make that person dumber, blind others to reality and you end up with a group of people primed to make Ranma's life a living hell.  
  
But did all of this hard work pay off? Was Ranma laying in a hole somewhere rotting? No! Instead he is happier than ever and everything that she had been working to avoid happened anyway! What's worse is that he has that damnable forbidden. "Well fuck them." Tokimi said to herself. If there was one thing that humans were good at, it was creating words perfect for when one is angry. But before she washed her hands of this pathetic orb there was one thing that she had to do. There was one person on Earth that she could use. The only person to bring Ranma Saotome to the edge of death. Besides, his monster form should have its uses.  
  
*********  
  
Makoto Kino was the last Senshi. All others had fallen in battle to an opponent that they were ill equipped to deal with. Who knew that someone that looked so harmless could be so dangerous. After her opponent struck the first blow Makoto had been flung into a tree, luckily all of her previous encounters with walls and other solid objects had built up a resistance to blunt force trauma in the Senshi of Jupiter. Thought to be unconscious, she was passed over as others who still clung to consciousness tried to fight back, Jupiter hid in the bushes in the hopes that an opportunity for attack may present itself.  
  
Now the same bushes that had offered sanctuary would now prove to be the location of her complete defeat. As she waited she could hear her pursuer closing in on her. Though the steps she heard were not at all loud, they were magnified so greatly to her ears so that any noise would be like cannon fire. So she waited, barely breathing so as not to alert her pursuer and going over what had happened trying to see if there was anything different that she might have done. To her dismay there wasn't anything she could have done. After several seconds of waiting she realized that the steady sound of footsteps had ceased. She looked left and then right yet she saw nothing. Then, like a person in a horror movie, Makoto slowly turned around and the only thing that she managed to do before the darkness consumed her was utter, "Oh crap."  
  
*********  
  
Authors Notes: And thus completes my story. Now you all know the true purpose of this story, to kill the Sailor Senshi.  
  
NOT!  
  
If you honestly think that this is the end then you are wrong. Nothing is stopping this story. Muwa, ha, ha, ha!  
  
Ahem. Sorry for the shortness of the chapter but this was a perfect cut off point. I know I'll get some complaints about a lack of action but this chapter, like the one before it, was to finally close the book on the Nerima portion of Ranma's life. He'll visit from time to time but he will never return for good. Also the point of this story from the very beginning has been a story of character development. Strike Fiss said it best in Seven Knights, each person is in a shell constantly remaking themselves. I intend to try to make many character's shells grow or break.  
  
Now as you can see I explained Akane's behavior in chapter 5, she was being manipulated by Tokimi. In fact Tokimi, manipulated everyone that had any impact on Ranma's life, no matter how small. I did this for two reasons:  
  
Reason #1 - To show how badly Tokimi wanted Ranma dead and how little she could do to kill him.  
  
Reason #2 - It is my firm belief that the characters of Ranma 1/2 can't be as stupid as they seem. Take Cologne for example, she lives for three hundred years, becomes matriarch, and she can't handle one boy?  
  
Now this will have some effect on certain characters, the beginnings of which have already been seen. Genma will become more intelligent and honorable. He's not going to become Super Genma but he will be someone that a person like Nodoka would be willing to wed. If there are any other concerns tell me.  
  
Chaos Lord King of the Wicker People 


	8. Chapter 7 The Ranma Cup

The Light Hawk War  
  
By: Chaos Lord  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to their respective owners. The concepts dealing with the Time Gates the Ultimate Good and Evil and the Forbidden belong to PacMan.  
  
********  
  
Chapter 7  
  
********  
  
After leaving the Tendo Dojo, the Senshi headed to the Hikawa Shrine. Once they reached their destination everyone split up and headed to their individual homes.  
  
As Makoto headed to her apartment she made a stop. Her foodstuffs were running low and she needed to buy more for dinner. At the store she made idle chit chat with the other regulars who frequented her favorite market. Once she got to her apartment she entered and headed to the kitchen to deposit her purchases. As Makoto busied herself with the tasks necessary to make her dinner she looked around the apartment sadly.  
  
If you asked any teenager they would gleefully jump at the chance to live on their own in a nice apartment. But to Makoto, living alone was a curse. There were days where she reveled in her freedom, but there were others, like today, were she would trade all of that for the loving embrace of her mother or father. Hell, even punishment would be fine since it meant that there was someone there to punish her.  
  
As Makoto sat down to eat the meal she had prepared, her thoughts turned to one of the Emperor's guards. Now those who knew Makoto would never guess who she was interested in since he was so contrary to the men she usually goes for. Normally she would prey upon men who were good looking, some would say that she was being superficial but she wasn't. Makoto was looking for love in it's truest most pure form. When she was younger and shorter she had met a guy. He was two years older than her, and some girls say that he was the most gorgess specimen of maleness ever. He could have had any girl he wanted but he always ate with Makoto and soon she was in a relationship that was pure bliss. He was so gentle and his touches were confined to places that could convey his feelings yet allow Makoto to maintain her dignity. But alas it wasn't meant to last. Her ideal boyfriend had to move and leave Makoto forever. Since then she looked for attractive men to date in the hopes that she would be able to recapture the joy she had felt.  
  
The guard that had caught her eye was not what one would call a pretty boy. In fact the scare that ran down the front of his face almost precludes the words petty boy. What he lacked in looks he made up with his eyes. Despite being red they held the same look as those belonging to her love from long ago. And as he surveyed the room in his search for some threat to his leader, his eyes would occasionally meet hers. What would happen next still increased her pulse. He would smile, not a huge smile that was full of teeth but a small roguish smile that said so many things yet said nothing at all.  
  
"I wonder what his name is?"  
  
*********  
  
Usagi Tsukino did something so out of character for her that it had Luna expecting the apocalypse. She woke up early. On a Saturday. During summer vacation.  
  
As the queen-to-be got up and prepared herself for a day with her new friends, she ignored Luna as she sat in a corner with prayer beads. She gathered her things and headed towards the bathroom, all the while thinking on yesterdays events. After a less than stellar introduction, Ranma and his friends seemed fine with them. Though one item about that meeting still troubled her, Ranma's reaction at having a Senshi guard him. He seemed reluctant to have their protection but that didn't make sense to her, wouldn't anyone feel better with the Senshi protecting them.  
  
As she soaked in the tub, Usagi's thoughts turned from the meeting and rested on her favorite topic for thought, Mamoru. Since Galaxia, Mamoru has been a more active participant in their relationship. He'd come over to ask her out, was more open with his feelings. Because of this Usagi learned what her love's greatest fear was, a long term relationship. Or more precisely, the responsibility of maintaining the feeling that he felt for her for as long as they were supposed to be together. Sometimes he had trouble sticking with what he had set out for dinner.  
  
Usagi's reply to that had been simple, "If you've loved me enough to die for me more than once, then you don't have to worry about not loving me." To back up this point Usagi engaged Mamoru in a rather energetic make out session. While they didn't go any further than making out, what they did do was enough to make Usagi blush.  
  
After getting dressed Usagi headed downstairs and made herself some breakfast. When she finished pouring her cereal she sat down with her astonished parents.  
  
Like Luna, Usagi's parents were shocked that their daughter was up so early. "Usagi dear, are you feeling ok," asked Mrs. Tsukino.  
  
Usagi looked up from her food, "Sure I am." She tilted her head to the side. "Why, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing honey, we're just not used to seeing you up this early during this time of year," her father replied.  
  
"Oh. It's Senshi business." That was one good thing that came out of the entire Galaxia affair, her parents now knew that she was Sailor Moon. When she had returned home after defeating Chaos, Usagi was treated to a view of her mother uncontrollably sobbing while her father and brother vainly tried to calm her down. Usagi wasn't even able to get out a hello before she was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug. Apparently her mother had known that she had died and now that she knew Usagi was alive she demanded to know what had happened. Needless to say, they were surprised when they heard that she was Sailor Moon. After she told them the entire story they told her how stupid they felt at not seeing all the clues that were revealed over the years. Soon her parents calmed down and told her that though they don't like how she puts herself in danger on a constant basis they will support her however they could.  
  
"It's not dangerous is it," Usagi's mother asked.  
  
"No we just have to guard a guy that's supposed to save the world, that's all."  
  
"Well, ok. You be careful and have fun."  
  
*********  
  
By eleven, all the Senshi but Hotaru were at the Shrine. Some were huddled around Ami's computer as she went over the scans she made of everyone at the meeting. The others were staying as far away from Haruka as they could. Now you may ask why such a close group of people would want to stay away from one of their members? Well to answer this question you have to picture Haruka in your mind. Now add a glazed expression a goofy grin and an occasional giggle and you have an idea what the Senshi of Uranus currently looks like.  
  
The reason for Haruka's odd behavior is quite simple, the house was empty. As soon as Haruka and Michiru got home Michiru took advantage of the fact that there was no one home to bother them and jumped her. Haruka wasn't quite sure how they ended up in bed, all she knew was the next morning there was a line of clothes that extended from their front door to their bed. What got her was the first article of clothing at the door was one of her bras. It was a little known fact and one that Haruka would never admit to but when it came to bedroom acrobatics Michiru would undergo a startling metamorphosis. One moment she would be calm rational Michiru the next she would be love-crazy Michiru whose imagination knew no bounds. Nor did her energy.  
  
Ami continued going over her findings until an alarm she had set rung. She turned off the alarm and closed her computer. As she stood up she placed the small computer into whatever spooky place that the Senshi stored things. "Well that is our signal to be leaving."  
  
This immediately broke Haruka out of her Michiru induced stupor, "So, how do we plan on getting there?" She missed Hotaru and wanted to see if her daughter was ok. While she didn't think that anything bad would happen, she was still worried since she really didn't know the people Hotaru was staying with. Haruka had never intended to become a mother and she especially never considered the possibility of being a father since she lacked the equipment that usually came with that title. But now she couldn't imagine herself not being one.  
  
"Well, we can always Sailor Teleport," answered Rei.  
  
The rest of the Senshi were happy with that idea so Minako kept her mouth shut. But she didn't think that whoever owned the land that they would land on wouldn't be happy when it blew up.  
  
*********  
  
Minako's prediction proved true when they landed in the Tendo's backyard.  
  
When Nabiki heard the explosion that came from the outside of the house she was instantly working on a bill for the damages. Soon after Ranma left the first time, Nabiki enacted a new policy. Whenever someone destroyed any Tendo property she would give them a bill for the damages. This quickly reduced the cost of repairs and the amount of people breaking down walls. When she reached the site of the most recent explosion, she hesitated a moment when she saw that the cause for the damage was the Sailor Senshi. But her hesitation was short lived because if she was going to apply the policy to one it had to be applied to all.  
  
When Usagi turned to walk out of the crater their arrival created, she was greeted by a piece of paper in her face. She looked beyond the paper and saw that it was being held by Nabiki. "What is this?"  
  
"It's a bill for the damages to our property," Nabiki replied mater- of-factly.  
  
"But."  
  
"Just take it. If you don't you could end up paying more than just damages," Ranma called out playfully.  
  
Usagi took the bill and handed it to Ami who was better with numbers. While Ami and Nabiki were discussing the finer points of Senshi financing Haruka walked up to Hotaru. As she reached the Senshi of Saturn, Haruka nodded at Ranma, who was standing beside Hotaru, and hugged her daughter.  
  
"Have fun?"  
  
Hotaru eagerly nodded her head. "Uh huh, everyone was real nice with me and I played with Sasami. Oh! You've got to see the martial arts moves Ranma can do. He's amazing."  
  
Haruka smiled at her daughter's exuberance. She had hoped Hotaru would have fun. "Maybe he'll show me later."  
  
Hotaru grabbed Haruka's hand, "Come on. You've got to see his neat door Washu made." Apparently Washu made a door to connect the Masaki and Tendo homes together so that Ranma's family could visit whenever they desire.  
  
*********  
  
As Ranma stood on the Tendo's verandah and watched Nabiki argue with the Senshi, he was joined by Cologne. "Hello Old Ghoul."  
  
"Good morning Son-in-law," Cologne replied with a smile. "So what are your plans for the day?"  
  
"I want to see what these girls are capable of, then I was hoping you and I could get some training time in. Where's Shampoo?"  
  
"I too desire to see what these Senshi are capable of. As for Shampoo, she will be along shortly. I was more eager than she was. After all it is not every day that I get to see the genesis of a new tribe." For the first time in a while Cologne was really happy. She has always enjoyed the adversarial relationship she had with Ranma. It gave her something to look forward to. And she would be first to admit that when she first arrived she had thought of Ranma as an inferior male. But as time passed, Cologne began to realize something about the remarkable young man, unlike many at the tribe Ranma was her equal. He might not posses her knowledge or experience but what he did have more than made up for that, he had skills and a quick wit.  
  
As Ranma stood there, his arm darted out and caught a blur. That blur showed itself to be Happosai. Said pervert lunged at the Senshi, when that didn't work he tried running, but all that got him was Cologne and Ranma laughing at him for the way his legs pumped while he was being suspended several feet in the air. Finally he gave up and turned to his captor, "Ah Ranma, won't you let an old man have one final thrill?"  
  
"Nope. These people are our allies and you aren't going to be copping any feels until they are good and used to us. Think of it this way, if you take their underwear now, then they will blast you and you and your "pretties" will end up cooked."  
  
Happosai took on a look of intense thought, "Why your right! Thank you Ranma for showing me your wisdom. Will you put me down now?"  
  
"Sure and remember to stick around because we'll be leaving soon," said Ranma as he sat the aged martial artist back on the ground.  
  
As soon as Happosai hit the ground he went to prepare himself for what is to come. In other words, he headed upstairs to play in Akane's underwear drawer.  
  
While Happosai zipped off, Ranma turned to Cologne only to see the disbelieving expression that adorned her face. "What?"  
  
"You're giving Happosai advice on when he can steal underwear," she asked incredulously.  
  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders, "You know he's going to do it eventually. At least now we can give them a proper warning."  
  
Cologne sighed, "I suppose you are right." She turned to go inside, "I'll make sure Happi stays out of trouble."  
  
Ranma watched her bounce off with a smile and a shake of his head. Cologne might deny it but he could tell she still felt something for the perv. Ranma being the expert on such things.  
  
When Ranma turned back he came face to face with Sailor Moon.  
  
"Where's Sailor Pluto?"  
  
"Yosho is watching her and keeping her away from me."  
  
"Ok, so when do we leave," asked Usagi.  
  
"Well," before he got further Shampoo jumped over the compound wall. "We can go whenever you're ready."  
  
"Great! Let's go." Usagi wanted to get away from Nabiki and her bills as quickly as possible. How was she supposed to pay that bill when she has to beg her friends for ice cream money.  
  
*********  
  
When Ranma and those following him reached the area of the compound where the new door was at, they were treated to a spectacle. Nodoka was badgering Washu while Uranus and Saturn watched.  
  
"Are you sure that this will let me see Ranma whenever I want?" This was not a product of stupidity on Nodoka's part. Rather, the incessant repeating of that question in a multitude of ways was born from Nodoka's disbelief.  
  
"Yes, it will Mrs. Saotome. All you have to do is walk through the door." Washu was really getting annoyed with the constant questions. She could understand that Nodoka was happy to be able to see her son at her leisure, but it was getting ridiculous.  
  
"Mom, you really should believe her. After all she was the one that brought me back to life."  
  
When he began to talk to her, Nodoka turned to Ranma. When she heard that Washu was the one to fix her little boy her eyes grew large and they glistened in the morning sun. Her head turned oh so slowly to look at Washu. "Is this true?"  
  
Having some experience with dealing with Misaki, Washu knew she was now in a dangerous situation. So she carefully said, "Yes?"  
  
As both Ranma and Washu both predicted, Nodoka's face lit up in a huge smile. She then preceded to gather Washu in a mighty bear hug.  
  
Washu, who was now being manhandled by Ranma's mother, glared hatefully at Ranma as he escorted his group through the door. "Oh I'll get you for this Ranma," she thought. While a part of her was angry at Ranma, another part was proud. Ever since she had met him, Washu had been working to loosen Ranma up a little. That he did this in front of strangers meant that her work had not been in vain.  
  
As the last person walked through the door, Ranma turned to Washu and grinned evilly as he waved at the scientist/goddess. "Bye Washu, catch up when you can."  
  
As Ranma closed the door he heard Washu yell, "I get you for this." That was something he looked forward to. Since he started living at the Masaki home Washu had been constantly on the assault. She would spray him with water when his curse was still water activated. But water wasn't her only weapon. One day she put something in his food that turned his hair white for a day. Normally all this would have bothered Ranma but he could tell they were all in the nature of good humor. He was also waiting for the right moment. That one perfect time to level a mondo whammy on her. That bit with his mother is what he was looking for.  
  
*********  
  
Once everyone was on the other side of he door and away from the prying eyes of the Nerima populace Ranma addresses the Senshi. "Ok, rule number one. No secrets. If you want to guard me that's fine, but I want to know who you all really are."  
  
"But what about them," asked Sailor Mars as she pointed to Cologne, Shampoo, and Happosai. Rei was upset, in the time she had been a Senshi she had done a reasonable job at concealing her identity. Sure, the occasional person figured out who she was but since they were usually bad guys and they died it wasn't much of a problem. But to reveal herself to total strangers when even her grandpa didn't know, it just wasn't kosher.  
  
"You don't have to worry about them. They can keep a secret. Can't they?" This was directed to Happosai.  
  
"You can count on me."  
  
"Well that's enough for me," said Usagi as she returned to her regular form.  
  
"But!"  
  
"But nothing. Ranma is right, how are they supposed to trust us to protect him if we don't trust him with who we really are."  
  
Everyone agreed with what Usagi said, some more reluctantly than others, and detransformed. After they did so, each introduced themselves.  
  
"Great! Now that we're all introduced follow me. There is something we need to do." Ranma turned and headed towards a set of stairs. Those who were part of the Nerima group followed him closely. The Senshi were left standing next to the house as they watched as Ranma walked off. They stood there for several seconds as they blinked in confusion and then ran to catch up with him.  
  
*********  
  
In a clearing away from the Masaki shrine was Ryoko, Ayeka, Tenchi, and Mihoshi. The love birds were sitting on a small boulder that someone had placed in the spot to act as a bench for anyone who might need it. Though they weren't making out, Tenchi, Ayeka, and Ryoko were practically one person.  
  
Ryoko looked over at Mihoshi and saw that the blonde-haired detective was feeling out of place. So she decided to loosen her up some, Ryoko style. "So Mihoshi, how are you and Ranma doing?"  
  
Mihoshi turned to face Ryoko and smiled at being able to talk about one of her favorite subjects, Ranma. One of her other favorite subjects was television, but that's beside the point. "We're great! I can't speak for Ranma, but this is the happiest I've been in a long time."  
  
Ryoko grinned evilly, this was the perfect opportunity to ask the real question that she had wanted to ask. "Sooo, you two done it yet?"  
  
"Ryoko! That's not something you ask someone," chastised Ayeka. Though it was a question that highly interested Ayeka. Those two, Ranma and Mihoshi, were always so close to one another. With all the training they do together, they move with such fluidity and grace while together that it borders on precognition. While the question intrigued her it was simply not the kind of question one asks in mixed company. As far as she was concerned, the only sex life Tenchi should have any knowledge of was his own.  
  
"Oh come on Ayeka. They've been together for a while now and taken god knows how many baths together. They must have done it at least once." Ryoko turned to a now deeply blushing Mihoshi, "Well?"  
  
With her head down to hide her blush, Mihoshi gently said, "No." And this wasn't because she didn't want to. In fact there hasn't been a moment during the last week when she didn't wish to do what Ayeka did. But one thing held her back, Ranma's past. He had told her everything his ex- fiancés had done in their quest to get in the sack with Ranma and she didn't want to be associated with them. So she took a policy of getting to know each other and waiting until Ranma was ready. As far as she could tell she was the first woman he had ever thought of in such a serious manner. She knew that as a reward for waiting, when they did finally do the deed it would be with someone that both were 100% sure of.  
  
While Ayeka was curious to why Ranma and Mihoshi had yet to consummate an obviously intense love for each other, she was unwilling to infringe on their personal life. In order to spare Mihoshi, and by extension Ranma, any further embarrassment, Ayeka changed the subject. "Why are we sitting here?" It was a question that she already knew the answer to but she hoped it would direct Ryoko onto another train of thought.  
  
Mihoshi was the first to reply with, "Ranma wants you three to fight the Senshi so he can see how good they are."  
  
"Well that explains us. But why are you here," asked Ryoko in her usual blunt manner.  
  
"Well Ranma asked me to watch so that he could get as many opinions as possible." Ranma had asked last night while in bed. Apparently Washu had done some research on them using the planet's information network and found out some things about them.  
  
At that, the clearing went silent once again. It stayed like that for several minutes but before Ryoko could bring up another uncomfortable topic Ranma walked up. He was followed by some of the oddballs from Nerima and a group of schoolgirls. Being able to put two and two together and get four, they realized that these must be what the Senshi look like when they aren't dressed up as superheros.  
  
As soon as Ranma entered the clearing he made a b-line to Mihoshi. Said girlfriend was making her way to Ranma at the same time and they met in the middle of the clearing. Once they reached each other they embraced and kissed as if neither had seen the other in a long time.  
  
Cologne and Happosai both were shocked that Ranma would display such emotions as if it was second nature.  
  
While the masters stood in shock Shampoo felt a pang of despair. It should be her in Ranma's arms like that. The only thing that softened the blow was the fact that this Mihoshi was very beautiful and very open in her feelings for Ranma. It is only proper that Ranma was with someone as beautiful and loving as she was.  
  
As the Senshi saw the display the collective thought of the younger members was, "Awww." That kind of love was what each fought to preserve and what each longed for.  
  
The older Senshi's thoughts were entirely different from their counterparts. Haruka watched them with mild disgust. It was just not right. A woman with legs and a butt like Mihoshi's shouldn't be straight.  
  
Michiru was annoyed, not at the couple who were showing their love for each other but at her own significant other. Haruka was allowed to look, she had admired how the tank top Mihoshi wore gave an excellent view of her breasts. But that was all Michiru wanted, a look. For all she really wanted or needed was the wonderful blonde next to her. While she had looked Haruka was leering, and that was unacceptable. As punishment she gave Haruka a sharp elbow to the ribs. This accomplished two goals: one, it got Haruka to stop leering, and two, Haruka started paying attention to her.  
  
After a brief and chaste kiss, Ranma and Mihoshi separated and turned to the group. "Ok, I would like you guys to introduce yourselves to the people who are going to test you."  
  
After the Senshi introduced themselves, Minako asked, "What do you mean by 'test us'?"  
  
"Well, I can protect myself from almost everything, so I'd like to know what you can do. So to answer that question, each of you will fight either Tenchi, Ayeka, Ryoko, and if she doesn't mind, Shampoo. After the individual fights you will all go against me." Ranma then turned to address the ones who would fight the Senshi. "When you guys fight I want you to remember that this is friendly combat. So you can't kill them." He knew that they wouldn't do that, but if he didn't say it and something bad happened, they could say that they didn't know. He turned to Shampoo, "If somebody beats you, you can't give them the kiss of death."  
  
"Yes Ranma," since Ranma was now an elder she had to obey that edict.  
  
The Senshi were aghast at hearing the comments on kisses of death and killing blows. In their experience, when people say die or death in conjunction with fighting them someone usually dies. So this begged the question, what kind of people were they going to be fighting?  
  
*********  
  
Back at the Masaki home, the door that Washu had installed to allow people to be with Ranma was flung open. Out of the door dove Washu, who upon reaching the Masaki side of the door, immediately slammed said door closed and braced herself against it. Her ample chest heaved as her lungs tried desperately to take in enough oxygen to keep up with her heart. As she was plastered to the door she waited for any sign that someone was trying to follow her. Once she was sure that her attacker would remain were she was, Washu removed herself from the door and a wave of energy passed over her form. As the wave traveled down her form, Washu's hair was put back into its proper place and a cleaner, straighter copy of the academy outfit that she was wearing today replaced her clothes. Once she was presentable again she sought out the location of Ranma's "testing". When she found them she teleported to their location but right before she did, she turned back to the door and with a final shake of her head she said, "That woman is as bad as Misaki."  
  
*********  
  
The players were all set, on one side of the clearing stood the Sailor Senshi in their transformed states, and on the other were Shampoo, Ryoko, Ayeka, and Tenchi. On the sidelines stood Ranma, Mihoshi, Cologne, Happosai, and Washu each prepared to watch the up coming battles.  
  
********* ROUND ONE: Shampoo VS. Mercury  
  
With their teams out of the line of fire Shampoo and Mercury stood across from each other on the field of battle.  
  
As Sailor Mercury looked at her opponent, several things went through her mind. How was Shampoo capable of making those weapons to appear. She also went through the various attacks she knew.  
  
As Shampoo looked at her opponent, she had to consider her opponent's competency as a warrior. The outfit she wore had a multiple places where an opponent could grab and throw her off balance. This was why she wore the dresses that she did since they have nothing to grab hold of and the tightness detracted most males. Her opponent did not have the look of a great warrior, as a matter of fact she looked like a scholar.  
  
At a signal from Ranma both combatants engaged each other. Shampoo ran forward with each of her weapons at the ready. Her forward motion was quickly halted by Mercury's attack.  
  
With a cry of, "Shabon Spray," Sailor Mercury enveloped the area around Shampoo in a dense fog. She stood there wondering what her next attack should be. This was hard because the attacks consisted of two types, distraction and kill. Unfortunately her thoughts were cut short as Shampoo came flying out of her mist with her bomboris poised for the kill.  
  
Inside the fog that Sailor Mercury created Shampoo couldn't see a thing. The cold wetness surrounded her and dampened her senses. Luckily the air had been dry enough that the attack hadn't activated her curse. As she looked around, Shampoo couldn't find her opponent so she tried the one method of detection left to her, Ki sense. She was nowhere near the level of Ranma or her great-grandmother, but she was able to detect a presence in front of her. Since this person had the same warble to their aura that the Senshi have it must be Sailor Mercury.  
  
Those on the sidelines watched as Shampoo emerged from the dense fog and practically flew at Ami. Said girl did nothing to raise any form of defense and was promptly knocked unconscious for her efforts. As Ami fell to the ground the rest were treated to an Amazon victory dance.  
  
The Senshi quickly rushed out to their fallen comrade. Once the reached her they were able to determine that the blow caused no noticeable damage other than the unconsciousness. This was quickly remedied by a small application of Saturn's power. Once they saw that Ami was fine they cleared the area for the next bout.  
  
********* ROUND TWO: Ryoko VS. Venus  
  
Ryoko and Sailor Venus stood across from one another on the field of battle.  
  
Ryoko was standing as if she had nary a care in the world. She had watched Shampoo's battle and if Ami typified the abilities of the Senshi then the upcoming bout should prove to be boring. Her lack of interest in this battle was made evident by her choice of clothing, she was wearing the same outfit that she wore when she blew up Tenchi's school.  
  
While Ryoko wasn't worrying about the fight, Minako most certainly was. She had seen how Ami's match had gone and her opponent was standing prepared. If there was something that she learned from her time as Sailor V it was that there were two types of fighters, the dangerous and the beaten. The beaten fighters were the ones like Shampoo who took stances and stayed mired in the formality of a particular style. The dangerous ones were like Ryoko. With this in mind she readied a low power Crescent Beam.  
  
When Ranma gave the signal to begin Minako instantly shot off her attack. The orange beam of energy streaked towards the smirking Ryoko. The Senshi started to get worried as the beam got closer and closer yet she did nothing. When the attack hit her and exploded violently Minako was aghast. As the dust cloud formed by the explosion dissipated and Ryoko was nowhere to be found Minako dropped to her knees. "No. It can't be. It couldn't have killed her. It's just not possible."  
  
The Senshi was stunned. Never had one of their own killed an innocent. And for something as stupid as training. This wasn't what they stood for, the Senshi were about love and justice yet one of their own just killed a person. What stunned them even more was the apparent lack of care on the part of Tenchi, Ayeka, Washu, Mihoshi, and Ranma.  
  
Cologne and Shampoo were shocked as well. From what Ranma had told her this Ryoko was supposed to be a good fighter yet here she was apparently dead. Ranma's apathy disturbed Cologne but she hoped that his apparent lack of care was because of something that he knew.  
  
This hope bore fruit and the Senshi's mourning was brought to a sudden halt by the sound of laughter coming from above them. The assembled group looked up to see that Ryoko was alive and well and laughing about thirty feet in the air. The Senshi were shocked at seeing Ryoko's less than dead state.  
  
Once Ryoko stopped laughing and looked down at the still kneeling Minako and stared her in the eyes. "You call that an attack? Little Miss Princess over there can dish out more than that. If you want fire a laser then do it like THIS," she extended an arm at Minako and fired off an orange energy blast at the prone Senshi.  
  
Minako was so shocked that Ryoko was both alive and floating that she didn't evade Ryoko's attack. While the attack wasn't that powerful and not aimed at Minako, the Senshi was blown back several feet as the ground before her exploded. When landed she was dazed for several seconds and when she opened her eyes they crossed as they tried to focus on the orange shaft of energy in front of her. She looked beyond the energy to see that Ryoko was smirking while one hand was outstretched and holding the energy as if it were a sword.  
  
Ryoko looked down at her fallen opponent and when Minako register her presence she said, "Do you yield?" When Minako gave a subtle nod Ryoko released her sword and offered her hand to Minako.  
  
Minako took hold of Ryoko's offered hand and used it to pull herself up. "Congratulations," she said as she shook Ryoko's hand. With that both combatants left the field of battle.  
  
On both sides of the field the resident scientists for the groups were hard at work one their computers. Washu's hands flew over her astral computer as she went through the data her various sensors were collecting. She had heard of the Serenitys and their Silver Millennium, but had always been doubtful of their abilities due to the use of one word, Magic. Some say that what the Juraians do is magic but it is merely an application of their own power as given to them by Tsunami. The people of the Moon Kingdom had never left their tiny solar system so Washu never bothered researching them. Now though that decision seems to have been premature. Her scans of the Senshi and what they can do while in battle were very interesting. Though they have a good deal of power backing them it is nowhere near the level that Ryoko or herself could put out. Their attacks seem rather lengthy to produce which is a definite negative. What really interested her was the so-called armor they wear. Despite their flimsy nature and the fact that there is nothing covering the legs it seems to give full body protection. When Ami was hit by Shampoo's weapon and when Minako was flung back by the explosion there was an increase in the Senshi's energy that seems to lower both kinetic and potential energy. The one drawback to the armor was sharp objects, from the looks of Venus the amour didn't fully protect from the debris picked up in the explosion.  
  
On the other side of the field the Senshi's counterpart to Washu was busy working on the data her Mercury computer collected. From her battle with Shampoo she was able to determine that the energy that her busty opponent had used was the same as what the Negaverse had been stealing from people. The only difference between Shampoo and those victims appeared to be the amount of energy. Shampoo had several times the amount of bio- energy that a normal person should have. As for the fight between Ryoko and Minako her computer was having difficulties with the data. The energy patterns of Ryoko were totally unknown to it and the power of it was also giving the tiny computer difficulties.  
  
********* ROUND THREE: Ayeka VS. Moon  
  
As Ayeka looked across the field of battle at the opponent she was cautious. She figured that the Senshi were using watered down techniques yet at the same time each fighter was getting stronger. Many would think that the girl in font of her was going to be easy but Ayeka knew better. The look in Usagi's eyes and the manner in which she carried herself reminded Ayeka of Mihoshi before Ranma. If there was one thing that Mihoshi was good for it was doing the unexpected. Since Usagi reminded her of Mihoshi, Ayeka brought her shield to bear and put as much power into it as she could, though she didn't activate her own armor.  
  
Usagi was scared. She had seen the power that the others had displayed and she wasn't sure if she could win. Sure she had attacks that could do tremendous damage. To evil. She had never tried her attacks against those that were either not possessed or filled with evil. Since Ayeka was neither, her attack's effectiveness was doubtful. As Ayeka brought up her shield Usagi was shocked to see the logs appear out of thin air and her chances for victory were looking smaller by the minute.  
  
When Ranma gave the signal to begin Ayeka gestured to Usagi to tell her to go first. She had fought Ryoko for so long she wanted to test the power of her shield against a different opponent.  
  
Seeing that Ayeka was letting her go first and not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth Usagi readied her attack. She pulled out her wand and twirled around impressively when she was finished she yelled her attack, "Moon Spiral Heat Attack!" When she finished a giant pink heart flew from her wand at Ayeka at a fantastic speed. Despite the heart's size, it wasn't as powerful as the attack was normally. It seems as if when she gets a new attack her old attacks become more manageable and thus allowing her to change the intensity of said attack.  
  
From behind her shield Ayeka watched the attack in the form of a giant pink heart streak towards her. Needless to say, she was stunned. Ayeka had seen a great many things in this universe, but an attack that produces a giant pink heart wasn't one of them. She was so shocked that she did nothing to get out of the way, so the heart slammed into her shield with a great explosion.  
  
From the sidelines Tenchi and Ryoko were slightly worried. Ayeka was nowhere near as powerful as they were so when the large pink heart slammed into Ayeka's shield they didn't know what the outcome would be. This worry quickly disappeared as Ayeka erupted from the dust cloud in full battle armor. She streaked toward the stunned Senshi of the Moon at an unbelievable speed.  
  
As Ayeka flew at Usagi she mentally cursed herself. She shouldn't have been as careless as she had been but now she would make up for that mistake. She had donned her armor just in case the girl before her might pull off another attack.  
  
As Usagi saw Ayeka fly out of the dust cloud at high speed she despaired. She had wanted this to be a good representation of what she could do yet here she was about to be hit in the face. Deciding to do something and show once again that she should be Sailor Moon. So she jumped. With their magical enhancements a Senshi can jump quite high but what Usagi did on this day was more than a simple jump, she flew. At that moment, Usagi didn't think about the fact that she hadn't fallen, all that mattered was Ayeka passing underneath her. Acting on instinct Usagi reached up to her forehead and plucked the tiara from its spot there. Usagi hurled the now glowing disk at Ayeka, whom it hit in the back of the head with a loud bonk. After the attack hit Ayeka she slammed into the ground at high speed since she hadn't slowed down yet. Fearing for Ayeka's safety Usagi flew down to check on her health but before she could get there Ryoko made it to her first. As Ryoko checked on Ayeka, Usagi floated there several inches above the ground and wrung her scepter nervously.  
  
Tenchi reached Ayeka a second after Ryoko did. By the time he got there Ryoko had already turned Ayeka over and was checking for any injuries. Luckily the only damage seemed to be from Usagi's attack, her armor took care of the rest. But the attack did leave Ayeka disoriented. This was made evident by the glassy look to her eyes and what she said, "Is that you Mihoshi? When did you learn how to fly?" Tenchi shook his head and placed a hand on his beloved's forehead. There was one thing that Tenchi really loved about his Light Hawk powers and that was the side benefits, in particular the ability to heal. With a simple application of his power Tenchi was able to heal all of Ayeka's injuries.  
  
By the time that Tenchi was healing Ayeka's minor injuries the rest of the Senshi ran up. While they were somewhat concerned for Ayeka's condition the main reason for their shock was the fact that their leader was floating several inches off the ground.  
  
"Usagi," said Rei, "you're flying."  
  
"What! Come on Rei if I was flying then why am I standing on the ground." Upon the completion of that statement Usagi looked down to prove to herself that Rei was wrong. When she saw that she was indeed floating above the ground. "Yikes!" With that the spell was broken and she fell to the ground. She sat on the ground for several seconds with her head down. Now that she was thinking about it she could feel a mild tingling sensation emanating from her back. The funny thing about the abilities of the Sailor Senshi was that once they used them once they could use them again. Now that she had seen how it was done Usagi could fly. She raised her head and looked at the group and with a wide grin said in an awed whisper, "I can fly." At that Usagi rocketed into the sky all the while she was giggling like a maniac. Though she could use her newfound flying ability Usagi wasn't as proficient as she would have liked and she ended up crashing through the forest. When she finally landed Usagi had twig and leaves stuck in her hair and several small cuts and scratches on her exposed skin. Despite this, a huge grin split the young girl's face. Since she was still on her flying high she had to be dragged from the field in order to have the next match. This was made easier by the simple fact that Usagi was once again floating several inches above the Earth.  
  
********* ROUND FOUR: Tenchi VS. Mars  
  
As Tenchi stood across from Rei, he felt very confident indeed. He had spent the last few months sparring with Ranma and with his ability to use The Light Hawk Wings he felt confident that he could handle anything the woman before him could dish out. That being said he held the Tenchi- ken in his right hand so that the playing field would be somewhat even. As Tenchi held the weapon he reflected that it was no longer his. When he had received his own tree the Tenchi-ken refused to work for him since he was now bonded to another tree. Knowing that Tenchi would still need the use of the weapon for training and other things Yosho allowed him to use the sword until such time as his tree would be able to create its own key. A time that Washu assured would be coming soon.  
  
Rei looked at Tenchi warily. Each of the others that had fought a Senshi varied in skills. The one constant that seems to apply to them all is that each is blindingly fast. As she went through her attacks she realized that all but one has a fatal flaw, the target has to be stationary and directly in front of her. The only attack that this flaw was somewhat mitigated was her Burning Mandalas. Since she now had more control over the attack she could guide small groups of the burning rings independently of the rest. She hoped that this would allow her to offset any maneuverability on Tenchi's part. So like Venus before her Rei was preparing to fire the attack as soon as Ranma gave the word to start the match.  
  
On the sidelines Ranma and the others looked at the two combatants. Tenchi was standing nonchalantly waiting for the whole mess to be over with while Rei's whole body was tensed and ready for battle. When he gave the signal Rei yelled out, "Burning Mandala!" From out of nowhere appeared flaming rings, which then flew at Tenchi. Tenchi remained standing as he was for several seconds and then he slipped into a stance that reminded Mihoshi and Ayeka of the one Yosho took when he fought Kagato. Sure enough like that time so long ago a transparent shield of energy appeared to block the main group of rings and then slid along an imaginary sphere to intercept the rings coming in from other angles. Once all the rings were destroyed Tenchi disappeared only to reappear with the blade of a blue energy sword in much the same location as when this happened to Minako.  
  
When her attack failed to do what she intended Rei was shocked. So shocked was she that she missed the fact that Tenchi disappeared. But while she might have missed that what she didn't miss was the blue blade of energy. While she conceded the victory to Tenchi she had a mask of indifference firmly in place but internally her mind was reeling. That wasn't a teleport that Tenchi performed, she had felt the air from his sudden stop blow her hair back somewhat. So the only conclusion was that it was pure speed. She knew that these people were powerful aliens, but this was not what she expected. Now that she had fought Tenchi she thought back to her vision and what she found scared her even more. If someone of Tenchi's power was defeated by Tokimi, how were they supposed to beat her.  
  
********* ROUND FIVE: Shampoo VS. Jupiter  
  
Standing across from Sailor Jupiter, Shampoo was unafraid. She had beaten her first opponent and had seen how easily the other Senshi were beaten so she was feeling rather sure of herself.  
  
Makoto stood across from Shampoo, ready and willing for battle. She had seen the previous battles and they invigorated her. Not the pain but the skill and power that was displayed. The skill of the woman in front of her impressed her the most, since Shampoo was human everything she could do Makoto could do as well, given enough time.  
  
When Ranma gave the signal to attack Shampoo began to step menacingly towards Makoto, confident in the knowledge that she would be victorious. Makoto used this arrogance on Shampoo's part against her and was able to launch her attack. With a cry of, "Sparkling Wide Pressure," Makoto hurled a ball of electricity at the amazon.  
  
Seeing the attack fly at her Shampoo was unafraid. Her rudimentary senses were enough to tell her that the attack would hit with the force of a light punch and had the attack been comprised of chi she would have been correct. But alas, the attack was magical in nature and had very little chi in its make-up. What it had in abundance was electricity, so when Shampoo raised her arms, and weapons, up to block she merely placed them closer to the attack. When Makoto's attack hit Shampoo didn't have enough time to ponder the differences between the punch and the attack since her body and mind surged with electricity. As the electricity coursed through her body all of her voluntary muscles locked up and her face was contorted in a silent scream.  
  
When the energy finished arching across her granddaughter's frame, Cologne hurried over to the downed girl. What she saw was comical to say the least, despite laying on the ground Shampoo's arms and legs were still in the same position as they were before she fell. Her long purple hair, Shampoo's pride and joy, stood out from her head in every direction and several of the ends had smoke wisping off them. Seeing that she was fine Cologne shook her head. Shampoo had gotten arrogant and this was the result. When medical aide was offered she waved it off since Shampoo was well enough to live. "The pain will hopefully teach her not to underestimate her opponent." So instead of the peaceful way Shampoo would have woken with being healed, she was woken up by having a wooden cane smack her in the forehead. As Shampoo and Cologne walked back to their side of the field the elder berated her relative.  
  
For her part Makoto was ecstatic. She had beaten one of those powerhouses. Admittedly she did beat the weakest one but a victory was a victory. The only regret she held towards the fight was that she wasn't able to test her skill as a fighter against Shampoo.  
  
********* ROUND SIX: Tenchi VS. Uranus  
  
For this battle Tenchi was even more wary than the first one. He outranked his opponent so badly that he felt it wasn't right to subject her to battle. But he also knew the importance of what they were doing, these battles were not so much a test of their abilities as a test of the Senshi's. Still, the whole affair felt wrong.  
  
On her side of the field Haruka was raring to go. The way she figured it, if Usagi and Makoto can win while using less powerful attacks she should definitely be able to win. And unlike many of the battles that the Senshi of Uranus participated in, she had a plan. She would fire off a World Shaking and then, as Tenchi is distracted by the attack hitting his shield, she would come in with her Space Sword. This, she felt, would be the key to victory.  
  
When Haruka heard the signal to begin she started her assault. She hurled a World Shaking at Tenchi and pulled her Space Sword from wherever it resides. Unfortunately for Haruka, those were the only parts of her plan to work. Instead of letting the attack hit his shield, Tenchi rushed forward and with a swipe of his blade cut the round ball of energy in half. The energy continued on and exploded on either side of Tenchi's path but he was far from finished with his attack. Maintaining his speed Tenchi ran at Haruka and it was only by virtue of her ingrained sword fighting skill that she was able to block Tenchi's next attack. Their swords clashed with one another for several seconds until Tenchi decided to finish the bout. With the same speed he displayed in his battle with Rei Tenchi knocked the sword from Haruka's hands and once again the blue blade of the Tenchi-ken was centimeters away from a Senshi's face.  
  
Once she conceded the win to Tenchi, Haruka walked over to where her sword ended up. When she got to the sword Haruka saw that it was buried to the hilt in a tree. With a mighty pull Haruka was able to dislodge the sword and with it a portion of the tree. Holding the sword at eye level Haruka was able to see the large hunk of dead wood that was attached to the blade. Taking her sword in both hands Haruka bashed the wood against the tree. This resulted in a shower of wood splinters to cover Haruka. When she turned to face her fellow Senshi Haruka could see that each and every one of them were trying their damnedest not to laugh. She gave those who would dare laugh at her plight a fearsome glare and then with every ounce of dignity a woman covered in woodchips can summon, Haruka walked to join her comrades. When she reached her family Hotaru helped her Papa remove the errant wood from her body.  
  
********* ROUND SEVEN: Ayeka VS. Neptune  
  
For this battle Ayeka was in her battle armor once more. It was not because she was worried about the battle but because she didn't want to mess up her outfit for a small fight.  
  
While Ayeka wasn't concerned about the fight, Michiru was. Looking at Ayeka she saw a very powerful woman ready to kick her ass. Unlike Haruka, Michiru held no false hopes for victory. The only reason Usagi had been able to win against Ayeka was because she learned a new ability at the last moment. Michiru doubted the same would happen for her. Instead of trying to win, Michiru's philosophy going into this battle was to make a good showing and not seriously embarrass herself.  
  
When the signal was given Ayeka waited for Michiru to attack. After all this was a test of THEIR abilities and not her's. Seeing that her opponent was waiting for her Michiru launched her assault and hurled a Deep Submerge at her foe. As the attack grew closer Ayeka boosted the energy to her shield to maximum and braced for impact. When Neptune's attack struck Ayeka's shield every bit of the magic containing the water disappeared. Unfortunately the water didn't. So, in a very comic move Ayeka was drenched in water.  
  
For several seconds Ayeka stood motionless as water dripped from her hair. "How dare she," Ayeka thought. "How dare she soak the First Crown Princess of Planet Jurai. I shall have my revenge!" With that thought firmly in place Ayeka raised off the ground and raised her head to give Michiru her worse glare. Once Michiru was suitably spooked, Ayeka flew towards the motionless woman at full speed.  
  
Those who knew Ayeka were in various levels of laughter. To them it was hilarious, usually these types of things happen to Ranma, for it happen to Ayeka, insanely funny. But their laughter died a quick and cold death upon seeing the glare that Ayeka gave Michiru. With one simple look Ayeka proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was Misaki's daughter. The glares were identical.  
  
When her attack resulted in a very wet princess, Neptune knew she was in trouble. As Ayeka began to float and then glared at her she began to look for an avenue of escape while only moving her eyes. Somewhere in the more primal recesses of her brain a command activated. It was a simple command that told her body to remain absolutely still, that way Ayeka wouldn't see her. Of course this didn't work because Ayeka began to fly at her at high speed. By this point all Michiru could do was brace herself against the coming pain. But no pain came as Ayeka stopped her flight just before hitting her.  
  
But Ayeka had never intended to hurt Michiru only show her the error of her ways. The wall of compressed air her speedy flight created was more than enough to accomplish this. Before Michiru could form any real thought said wall of air slammed into her and threw her several feet back. With her justice being distributed as she had willed, Ayeka returned to her normal outfit and turned to face her loved ones. What she saw irked her somewhat, Washu, Ranma, Mihoshi, Ryoko, and Tenchi were all huddled together as far away from her as possible.  
  
Seeing the unhappy look on her beloved's face all the fear left Ryoko and she quickly made her way to Ayeka. Upon reaching her Ryoko enveloped the irate princess in a large bear hug in an attempt to show Ayeka that despite how scary she may be she was still loved. The loving couple was shortly joined by Tenchi then they preceded to have a group hug and shower one another with love.  
  
Seeing that the danger from Ayeka had passed Ranma and Mihoshi stood up. Looking at the embracing trio Ranma realized that he hadn't hugged Mihoshi in a while and moved to rectify that problem. He wrapped his arms around Mihoshi's lithe frame and pressed her close to himself. In Ranma's arms Mihoshi was experiencing pure bliss. But in a corner of her mind the kernel of doubt that Ryoko had planted began to bear fruit. "Why doesn't he want me," she asked herself. It was her experience that men wanted sex as soon as possible, if they hadn't wanted to wait for her parents approval than Ayeka, Tenchi, and Ryoko would have done it the first day they were together. She wasn't with Ranma for sex, what she wanted was joy, the joy that comes with two people coming together to form something greater. She had had that with Kiyone and it was more wonderful than anything that she could have imagined. It was that joy that she wanted to share with Ranma, if he let her.  
  
After hugging his girlfriend for a good while Ranma withdrew from her but before he got too far he gave Mihoshi a parting kiss. Afterwards he walked towards the assembled Senshi, before he said a word he looked at each one of the girls. Behind the mask of an inscrutable master Ranma was amazed, these girls had done far better than he had ever imagined. "You guys did better than I expected. But you aren't done with your fighting for today. You've got one last fight, against me, and I want you to use your strongest attacks."  
  
"WHAT!" Needless to say, the Senshi were shocked. No one has ever ASKED to be hit with the entire arsenal of the Sailor Senshi, which caused many of them to question the sanity of the people who they were trying to help.  
  
"I want to see how powerful you really are. If you are more powerful than I expect then I am fast enough to be able to dodge your attack. So don't worry about me." With that Ranma walked to the other side of the small clearing.  
  
The Sailor Senshi looked to their leader for guidance on this problem. If they were going to kill the guy they were supposed to protect then they were going to only do so at Usagi's behest. "Let's do as he wants. Hotaru, I don't want you to do this fight either. He might be powerful but I don't want to chance a Silence Glaive Surprise. Also, be ready to heal Ranma up if we end up injuring him, okay," Usagi said while smiling.  
  
Hotaru nodded gratefully, "Okay!" She too had feared Ranma's ability to handle every one of the Senshi's most powerful attacks, including her own. During her stay at the Masaki home she had taken the time to get to know Ranma a little. What she learned both amazed her and made her depressed. She was amazed at the skill and power Ranma expressed in his art. He had taken her to what he called the "Training Room" and really cut loose. He had been all over the place while moving so fast that he left an after image in his wake. Then to top that he destroyed things with merely a swipe of his hand. He made her depressed for much the same reason as other men depressed her, she couldn't have him. But this time her not having him had nothing to do with her. Ranma had seen her healing ability and remarked on great it was that she could help others in such a fashion. Upon seeing how weak she was Ranma offered her training to boost her strength and stamina as opposed to others who would make fun of her. He was kind and gentle and she was very smitten, but alas he was already taken thus her depression. But there was a small silver lining that the dark recesses of her mind could use to create fanciful dreams, Tenchi was in a three way relationship. So, relieved that she wouldn't be the reason for making Ranma a molecular paste, Hotaru hurried over to where Tenchi and the others where at.  
  
Standing across from Ranma the Senshi had varying thoughts and feelings. Some, like Usagi, were concerned that they would hurt Ranma. Others, like Makoto could see the way Ranma moved and only one thought traveled through their brains, "We are sooo screwed." But despite their misgivings the Senshi followed Ranma's wishes, so with much twirling and flashing colors each one of the Sailor Senshi, Champions of Love and Justice and Defenders of the Planet Earth, launched their most powerful attacks at one man. The seven attacks merged together to form a swilling kaleidoscope of colors and death whose energies were felt by people for miles.  
  
As the attack streaked towards him Ranma was impressed at the power these girls could put out at a time. While he may be impressed on the inside he was still wearing that insufferable smirk that enraged so many opponents because a part of them knew he could win. Why, you ask, was he smirking while one if the most powerful attacks the Senshi had ever produced streaked towards him. The answer is quite simple, the Senshi, with all their power and abilities, use magic and Ranma remembered that during his story Nergal told him that he was able to cut through magical assaults with the Neko-Ken. So with the same effort that a cat would use, Ranma swiped his hand though the air before him. Like usual this produced four virtually transparent dark blue blades of energy. Ranma expected this attack to slice through the Senshi's attack and then hit the ground about a foot away from the Senshi and explode. That was why he was running behind his attack, he was going to use the explosion as cover for his real attack. Unfortunately this didn't work like he expected and when his attack met the one produced by the Senshi they exploded violently. Since Ranma's attack was what caused the explosion 99 percent of it continued in the direction of the attack. This violently threw the Senshi into each other and the trees behind them. Ranma was also thrown backwards but since he didn't bear the brunt of the explosion he was able to control his flight and landed on all fours.  
  
The Senshi were not so lucky, many knocked each other out as they hit another Senshi or they hit a Senshi and a tree. Being more used to extreme impacts than her fellow Senshi Makoto was able to stay conscious despite being hit by a tree and Rei. Though she was dazed Makoto quickly recovered and when she did, what she saw did not give her a confident feeling. Of her fellow Senshi, she was the only one who was conscious, the rest were knocked out and some were moaning in their unconscious state. She then looked to the cloud of smoke and debris that the explosion had created and she knew that Ranma was on the other side. Since she didn't know what his condition was she had to assume that he was, like her, still conscious. So she decided to employ a tactic that the Senshi were not well known for, running away. Makoto quickly ran into the forest behind her hoping that the trees would hide her.  
  
Ranma was playing this smart, instead of running head long into the dust cloud he waited until it had cleared so as to not let whoever was on the other side get the drop on him. When the cloud cleared he saw that all the Senshi were in various states of unconsciousness, but as he began counting Senshi he saw that one was missing and that was Makoto. Realizing that she must have run into the forest he followed her so that he could hunt her down. Upon entering the wooded area he could tell in what direction his quarry lay. He could smell her. So he followed his nose to find the hiding Senshi. When he found her she was hiding behind some scrub bushes and she was facing away from him. As he watched her she turned her head one way and then another and then she slowly turned to face him. Seeing him her eyes grew large and Ranma heard her say two words, "Oh crap." Ranma simply nodded his head and then punched at her only to stop a millimeter from her nose and she passed out from shock.  
  
*********  
  
When the Senshi woke up a most delicious smell was on the air. The smell was soo good that all of the unconscious Senshi woke up salivating. They quickly looked around and saw that they were on the dock outside the house where they first arrived. Several feet away from them on a blanket was everyone that was in the clearing earlier and others who were at the meeting the night before. The other person with them is what surprised them for Usagi was also sitting on the blanket and was happily partaking of the offered food. The Senshi looked at one another and nodded as one they were then right next to the group of people eating, each with their cutest and most pathetic faces on. "May we please have some food too," they asked at the same time.  
  
Sasami looked at the Senshi's pathetic faces and smiled brightly, "Of course you can. Please have a seat and grab some food. There is more than enough for everyone."  
  
The Senshi said their thanks and gleefully dug into the food prepared by the mothers and Sasami. Soon all the food was eaten and all the containers were placed back into the baskets on the edge of the blanket. Usagi looked to Ranma and asked, "So what now?"  
  
"Well like I said, you did better than I expected and you Senshi are very powerful, but you take way too long to launch your attacks. Had she actually been trying to kill you, Shampoo would have done so before you could have fired a single shot and she is one of the slowest of us. So here is what I suggest. While you guys are here to protect me you can get training in my style, Anything Goes Martial Arts."  
  
"And I can teach you some of our ways if you so desire," added Cologne. These Senshi with the right training, i.e. Amazon training, could be a very powerful ally for her new tribe. It just shocked her that warriors that were supposedly responsible for the saving of the world on multiple occasions could be so unskilled in the ways of battle.  
  
*********  
  
Tenchi Masaki and Ranma Saotome were facing the most harrowing adventure of the lives. What lay ahead required skill, cunning, and a quick wit. Unfortunately the opponent they were about to face was a master of her chosen field, a field that they were ill equipped to handle, but their quest was just and they would let nothing stand in their way.  
  
Ranma looked to Tenchi, beads of sweat gleaming on his forehead, and asked, "You ready?"  
  
Tenchi's forehead was in a similar state, a testament to their combined nervousness. But would either of them admit it, HELL NO. Instead, Tenchi nodded his head solemnly to answer Ranma's question  
  
With their course set Ranma reached out and knocked on the door before him right under the Nabiki nameplate. The sound of Ranma's hand striking the door ran loudly though out the quiet hall and both men waited in silent anticipation for the room's occupant to open the door. They didn't have to wait long.  
  
When Nabiki opened the door she had been rather cross and was about to make whoever dared disturb her dream about her, Ranma, and a tub of Cool Whip pay dearly. But her ire was quickly dampened when she saw that the object of her previous dream was now standing outside her room. She smiled broadly thinking that this was just another dream but that smile dwindled just a bit when she saw that Tenchi was standing next to Ranma. "Hello Ranma, Tenchi what do you boys want with little ol' me?"  
  
Ranma smiled at Nabiki, "Hey Nabiki, can we talk?"  
  
Nabiki crossed her arms, "I don't know Ranma, CAN you talk?" She then stepped back to let the two into her room.  
  
"Well we can but will you let us?"  
  
"You're in my room aren't you? So what can I do for you?"  
  
"I was hoping that you could tell us where we could find a shop that sells engagement rings," Ranma answered nervously.  
  
Nabiki was stunned, for Ranma to want to buy an engagement ring was simply unbelievable. She was sure that Ranma had loved her sister and he had never tried to by a ring for her. This must mean he is really serious about Mihoshi. She walked over from the door and sat in her desk chair. "I know a few places that will fit your needs. But before I tell you I want you to tell me something, have you and Mihoshi done it yet?"  
  
"WHAT?! Why would you ask that?"  
  
"Well, you are going to buy an engagement ring for her, I only think it is logical to ask whether or not you have had sex with her. I mean you were with Akane for a year and you never tried anything like this."  
  
"Well, not that it is any of your business, but no we haven't. As for the ring, well I love her and I want to give her something to show her how much I love her even when I'm not there."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"What do you mean why? I told you I love her."  
  
"That's not what I mean. Why haven't you two had sex yet? She has to be more attractive than all of your old fiancés and she seems to genuinely love you. So given all that why?"  
  
This was a question that Tenchi wanted the answer to as well. It was inconceivable to him how two people in a relationship so deep it bordered on marriage could not have at least done it once. He could never contemplate not being with Ryoko and Ayeka in every way that he could.  
  
"We're waiting for the right time and that is that. So are you going to tell us what we want or what," Ranma asked angrily. There was no way in hell he was going to tell these people why he and his love hadn't gone all the way.  
  
Nabiki looked at Ranma for several seconds as if she were weighing her options. She knew that if she pushed Ranma any more he would leave and quite possibly never seek her council again. She could not let that happen. "Sorry Ranma. I was just curious." She then turned to her desk, pulled out a sheet of paper, and wrote several addresses on it. She then turned back Ranma and handed him the paper. "Here are some places with excellent rings. You should be able to find something for Mihoshi. Tell them Nabiki Tendo sent you and they'll give you some sort of discount."  
  
Ranma looked at the sheet of paper for several seconds trying to commit the addresses to memory. Once they were sufficiently committed he looked up from the paper and said, "Thanks. How do you know about these places?"  
  
Nabiki shrugged, "I've had some dealings with several of them. And," she said hesitantly. "Shortly before she was kidnapped by the Phoenix soldiers, Akane dragged me to several shops wondering which one you might get her. You do know that she really loved you, right?"  
  
Ranma lowered his head, "I didn't when I left, but last night I realized how much she must have cared." He then looked at Nabiki, "Akane may have loved me, she might even love me now, but that doesn't matter. She had her chance and she got worse. Now I'm with Mihoshi and nothing in this universe is going to keep us apart." Ranma turned and headed towards Nabiki's door but he stopped with his hand on the handle, "Nabiki, thanks for the info. If you ever need help you know where to find me." With that he left the Tendo Dojo.  
  
Tenchi watched Ranma leave the room and then turned to Nabiki, "Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it."  
  
Nabiki waved him off, "No problem. I will always help out Ranma." She then turned pensive and looked to the spot Ranma just vacated. "Will you keep an eye on him? He's never been in a real relationship and he might get over his head. Someone needs to keep an eye on him and Mihoshi so that neither of them get hurt."  
  
With an expression as solemn as Nabiki's, Tenchi nodded his head, "Of course I will. See you later," with that he too was gone.  
  
"Good luck Ranma."  
  
*********  
  
When Tenchi left the Tendo compound he saw that Ranma was standing there waiting for him. Seeing that Ranma was in no mood to talk, Tenchi just followed his silent friend as they headed to the first location that Nabiki gave them.  
  
Soon they spied a man dressed as an American police officer. The man's mirrored sunglasses and odd gait made Tenchi and Ranma fell rather uneasy. Their concern was only increased when the man stopped in front of them and took off his glasses.  
  
"Excuse me. Have you seen this boy," as he asked that he held up a photo of an American male in his mid teens.  
  
Both Ranma and Tenchi shook their heads unwilling to answer the odd man any other way.  
  
Seeing that the boy had no information on his query the man placed his glasses back on his face and mechanically turned away.  
  
Ranma and Tenchi looked at each other, "Let's go get those rings and get the hell out of here," suggested Ranma. To which Tenchi nodded his head in agreement and the two sped of to their destination.  
  
*********  
  
The room was cold. As one of Washu's newest upgrades to the house, Mihoshi's room, and every other room in the house, had its own AC unit. This way each room's occupant could have a temperature that fit their own needs. Mihoshi had her's set on strato freeze. "This way," she had reasoned to Ranma the first night he slept in her bed, "we can bundle up and be that much closer to each other." So, as she said on that night so long ago, Ranma and Mihoshi were on her bed and snug under the large comforter.  
  
In a practice that they had started, Ranma and Mihoshi went to bed before they had to go to sleep. Unlike the other couples who were living in the house Ranma and Mihoshi didn't go to make love. They would strip until both were in their underwear and then they would climb under the covers until Ranma was laying on his back and Mihoshi had her head on Ranma's chest while their legs were intertwined. As they would lie there, Ranma would run his hands through Mihoshi's hair as they talked about their day or anything that was bothering them.  
  
Today, Ranma and Mihoshi were talking about the day's battles and how they were going to improve the Senshi. During a lull in the conversation Mihoshi decided to confront Ranma on the problem that had plagued her the entire day. Ever since Ryoko asked her that question earlier in the day doubt had been eating at her, making her absolutely worthless in anything she tried to do. So in a move that scared Ranma, she asked him her question, "Ranma, do you find me attractive?"  
  
When Mihoshi asked her question, the hand that Ranma was using to caress her hair stopped as if it were frozen in time. In his mind alarms were blazing and a robot was waving its arms saying, "Danger Ranma Saotome, danger." He knew from experience that this conversation had the potential for turning rather nasty. But despite the alarms he answered truthfully, "Of course I do. You're the most attractive woman I know."  
  
Mihoshi sat up to look Ranma in the eyes and consequently gave him an up close view of her rather generous bust line. "Then why won't you try anything with me? When we make out you never try to cop a feel, and when we're in bed and my back is against your chest you keep your hands on my stomach. Is there something wrong with me?" The while time she spoke her voice was laden with the sorrow that her doubt had created.  
  
As Mihoshi talked Ranma's attention was directed both on her pain filled eyes and how the cold effected her nipples. When she finished with her question Ranma went into a panic, he had never wanted Mihoshi to be hurt over this and was now afraid he may lose her over this. Ranma took Mihoshi's hands into his own, looked into his beloved's eyes, and with every ounce of love and truth he could summon Ranma answered her question, "Mihoshi, I want you to listen carefully. I love you, everything about you I love and there is nothing about you that I would change."  
  
Mihoshi was on one hand relived that there was nothing wrong with her but on the other hand she was still concerned. But now her concern was not for herself but for Ranma. "Then why won't you share yourself with me?"  
  
Ranma sighed, he knew that this conversation or one similar would come one day but he hoped that it wouldn't. Now his only recourse was to follow the American saying, "The truth shall set you free," his only hope was that in telling the truth Mihoshi wouldn't be the one going free.  
  
"When I first came to Nerima I was instantly engaged to the most popular girl in school. Everyday the guys would ask how Akane was doing and give a wink and a nudge. Thinking they were concerned for Akane I would answer. I instantly became popular with the girls because of how I looked and they would pass me notes with VERY suggestive stuff on them. And then there was Akane, she could be kind to anyone she saw, but if I even thought about thinking to touch the top of her head with my pinkie finger I'd be hit and called a pervert. So one day I looked up what sex was and I was shocked. I couldn't believe people would ask about something like that or that Akane would think that I was doing that kind of thing. Then more fiancés showed up and each one wanted more than the one before.  
  
But as weirded out about sex as I was, I knew that one day I might be married and my wife would want to do it. So I disguised myself as a woman and went around the district looking for groups of woman that I could listen in on. What I heard shocked me, most of the women got little or no pleasure at all from sex. Some of their partners wouldn't even wait until they were ready, to say nothing about actually having a good experience. I don't want to be in that kind of relationship. I want to be with you, I really do, its just that I'm scared that it won't be enjoyable for you and that you'll have to pretend that I'm doing a good job just to soothe my ego," he finished helplessly.  
  
Mihoshi looked at Ranma with thinly veiled horror. She had known that his time in Nerima was bad, but to turn him away from sex? She decided to move quickly to reassure her man. In her opinion it wasn't right for Ranma to be afraid of something so integral to the relationship they were trying to create. "Ranma, I'm positive that when the time comes you will do fine." Ranma's look of questioning doubt only bolstered her will to help Ranma overcome his fear. Even if they didn't make love for another twenty years, at least he will feel confident and loved when the day finally came to take their love to the next level. "You have several advantages over those other guys. That you even thought about how a woman feels about sex means that you will try your hardest not to make the mistakes those other men made. I think the biggest advantage you have is your curse. You know better than any man what it is like to be a woman, physically that is. Have you tried to pleasure yourself as a woman?" She knew the answer to that question and she was ready to shoot down any denial. It was several days after they had gotten together and she was going to take a bath. When she got close to one of the smaller pools in the floating onsen Mihoshi heard a low lustful moaning. Upon some very secretive inspection Mihoshi was shocked to see the source of the moans was none other than Ranma. At that moment he was in his female form and the light streaming in through the onsen's glass like dome shined off the perspiration and water on his body. Along with the misty air and the sensuous moaning Mihoshi had little resistance and while Ranma never knew she was there, they both left VERY satisfied. Mihoshi mentally slapped her head and concentrated back on Ranma at the same time she did that her unconscious moved her legs slightly to relieve the wet sticky sensation she was currently experiencing.  
  
Ranma blushed bright red at Mihoshi's question and was very greatly thankful that she wasn't laying on him because he had to readjust himself as well. Now if Ranma was psychic then he would be shocked to know that the time he was thinking about was the same time as Mihoshi. That had been the first time he had done anything like that in his other half, and while he has done on other occasions since, that first time was the most intense. At times it had felt as if Mihoshi were really there. "Um yeah, I have," replied Ranma, his voice full of embarrassment.  
  
"Well, did you enjoy yourself? Did it feel good?"  
  
The only answer Mihoshi received was a nod from a very embarrassed Ranma.  
  
"There you go. You know what to do when the time comes. If you can pleasure yourself you can pleasure me." Mihoshi waited for any sign that Ranma understood what she said. She didn't have to wait long.  
  
Ranma sat up and wrapped his arms around Mihoshi in a warm embrace. "Thank you."  
  
They stayed in each others arms for several minutes, just relishing the feel of warmth and love coming from the other. Finally Mihoshi pulled away and looked Ranma in the eye, "Do you feel better now?"  
  
Ranma smiled, "Yes I do." Seeing the look in her eyes Ranma, headed off any question Mihoshi might ask, "But I'm not ready for everything that you want. It won't be long, you think you can wait?" To add more power to his question and because it was something he longed to do, Ranma slid his hands down her body until they came to rest on her rear. With hands firmly in place Ranma gently messaged the flesh underneath his palms.  
  
Mihoshi tilted her head back slightly and luxuriated in the sensations Ranma was able to conjure up in her. She then looked at Ranma with a smoky gaze, "Oh, I don't know Ranma. The way you're going I might not be able to hold myself back if you keep on doing things like that." She then leaned forward and kissed Ranma on the lips. Their kiss lacked some of the passion of their other kisses but what lacked in passion it more than made up in love. This wasn't the raw untamed love of two people who have just gotten together, but the pure love of a couple who, with the wakening of each new day, discover yet another reason to love. Their kiss was brief and while their lips parted their foreheads remained pressed together.  
  
They stared into the other's eyes soaking up their love and comfort until Ranma looked away, lest something happened that he was ill prepared for. Ranma got out of bed and quickly made his way over to his pants from which he retrieved a small box. He barely opened the box to confirm its contents and then made a b-line for the bed. Once again under the warmth of he covers, Ranma scooted as close as possible to Mihoshi and was surprised when the blonde-haired beauty sat herself in his lap. He quickly recovered and continued with his course of action. "Mihoshi, you know I love you right?"  
  
"Of course I do, and I love you too."  
  
"Well, we've talked about marriage before, and we've both said that we want to be together forever." Ranma put the box between them and continued, "That being said, will you marry me?"  
  
When Ranma opened the box Mihoshi gasped at the beauty of the ring that it contained. The ring was a band of gold and silver woven together, and at the center there was a heart shaped gem the color of Mihoshi's eyes surrounded by silver and gold. Mihoshi began to weep for joy and she pressed Ranma to her in a hug and in the process crushing the ring between them. With her lips to Ranma's ear she whispered, "Yes." She released Ranma from her hug only long enough for him to place the ring on her finger and then she latched onto him once more.  
  
Seeing that Mihoshi wasn't going to let go anytime soon, not that he minded, Ranma carefully lay back while Mihoshi was still attached to him. Once he was on his back, Mihoshi readjusted herself so that her whole body was pressed against his. So positioned, Ranma and Mihoshi both fell asleep and were visited by wondrous dreams of their life together.  
  
*********  
  
In Tokyo, a man was standing on a balcony. Mamoru Chiba was looking out over the city in silent thought. As he looked out and saw the lights of Tokyo, he asked himself, "How could I ever have thought about leaving this place?" And then he remembered, the visions. Snippets of memories or advice sent to him from the future through his dreams by a future self. Unlike Rei, his visions were harder to interpret, and on several occasions a wrong interpretation has led to pain. But now the visions had stopped, for the last several months he has received nothing and that worried him. A bigger concern was a feeling he has been having, normally it was like an itch he couldn't scratch but when he transformed it got much worse. Mamoru got the feeling that something big was going to happen, something that, while removed from Earth and its people, would have implications for the entire universe. He also worried for Usagi who had just left, the whole time that she had been there she talked about her day with Ranma and his friends. And it was that Ranma Saotome that bothered him, somehow he knew that whatever was going to happen, Ranma would be at the center of it. As he looked up at the Moon, the home of his beloved, a thought ran through his mind that chilled his soul, at the crucial moment he won't be able to save Usagi.  
  
*********  
  
In another room in Tokyo, a woman thrashed about in her bed. If some one were to see her they might have a hard time saying that this woman was Setsuna and not some messy twin. The whole room was in shambles, with clothes strewn across the floor and furniture overturned. Her life was just as bad as the room. The rest of the Senshi doubted her sanity and she was beginning to agree with them. A portion of her wanted with every fiber of her being to kill Ranma Saotome and another portion, the older, purer portion, knew that that was wrong. And on top of all that was the Time Gates, for some reason that wasn't apparent to her the Gates would no longer respond to her. For the first time ever the future was no longer hers to see, and that scared her more than the prospect of loosing her sanity.  
  
*********  
  
Down the hall from Setsuna, Hotaru lay in her bed absolutely giddy. For once in her life she knew people other than the Senshi that were not afraid of her. Whether it was her ability to heal or her ability to mimic the Death Star, Ranma and his friends treated her as an equal. She had a new friend her own age in Sasami. With Cologne and Ranma's help she is going to be stronger and able to do more transformed and untransformed. She knew that something bad was coming, she had heard the Royal Family's story and Ranma's desire to help, that means that Usagi will want to go too. But that was millions of light years away as the young woman drifted into blessed sleep and eagerly anticipated the coming of a new day.  
  
*********  
  
Authors Notes: Well this is the end of another chapter, sorry about the lateness of this chapter but I had several problems.  
  
Problem 1: Fight scenes - I don't do fight scenes well so it took me a while to write them. That being said my brother PacMan has gone over the fights to spruce them up and make them sound better.  
  
Problem 2: School - need I say more?  
  
Problem 3: Family - my family isn't the sanest in the world so I have been driving various members around my city for various reasons. To give you an example, I put 150 miles on the odometer just for Pac-Man's prom.  
  
Problem 4: Models - along with writing this work of fiction I also build anime models. During this chapter I started and finished a project that saw me totally redoing my 1/100 Deathsythe with the inclusion of extra joints in the shoulders and neck.  
  
And finally Problem 5: I'm a lazy bastard.  
  
But I have overcome these problems and have delivered this chapter to you. I hope you enjoy and any comments you may have are welcome  
  
Chaos Lord  
  
King of the Wicker People 


	9. Chapter 8 Marriage and War

The Light Hawk War

By: Chaos Lord

Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to their respective owners. The concepts dealing with the Time Gates the Ultimate Good and Evil and the Forbidden belong to PacMan. 

********* Warning *********

This chapter contains people who are not in certain Tenchi products. For this story I am only using what is said in the 1st and 2nd OAV. Any name or events coming from the books or GXP have no bearing for this story.

********* Warning *********

********

Chapter 8

********

Ranma Saotome was fighting against an implacable foe in his hardest battle to date. For every move that Ranma made his opponent countered with one that placed victory a little bit further from Ranma's grasp. As Ranma stared at his most hated foe he knew that he was fighting a loosing battle and it was really pissing him off.

"Damn stupid bowtie," Ranma exclaimed angrily as he threw his arms in the air. Starring at himself in the mirror Ranma could see that the result of twenty minutes of work had culminated in some slightly rumpled fabric. Hearing some chuckling coming from behind him, he turned around to face the source of the laughter and gave the three men standing inside the entrance to Tenchi's room a menacing glare. To Ranma's despair all three men all had perfectly tied bowties to accompany their black tuxedos. "If you guys are so good will one you help me with this blasted tie? I swear these things were created as some form of torture."

The first two men, his father Genma and his soon-to-be father-in-law Seshou Kuramitsu just shook their heads and shrugged. "Don't look to us for help Ranma," replied Seshou. "Genma and I took the easy way and had Washu make us clip-on ties," to demonstrate this the tall man pulled off his tie only to slip it back on.

Genma elbowed the taller man, "You weren't supposed to tell him that. You have to act all mysterious and wise," he said with a grin.

The third man, Tenchi, started over to help his friend. "I'll help you Ranma. Unlike those fossils over there I know how to tie one of these."

"Oh really," Seshou drolly, "I guess having your fiancé tie it for you means you know how to tie a bowtie. I guess that means we should have done that, ey Genma."

Genma folded his arms across his chest and nodded solemnly, "Quite right Seshou. The way of the bowtie is perilous indeed." At that everyone in the room began to laugh.

As Ranma looked at his father he was surprised that this was the same man who raised him. Over the last two months Genma had been a warm and good man. Some of the weight that had plagued the man's torso had disappeared thanks to the diet Nodoka had him on. His fighting had also gone down, in fact the only arguments that Genma had got in recently were over how the marriage would go down. It was thanks to him that Ranma was wearing a tuxedo and not a kimono or some sort of Juraian getup at his wedding.

As Ranma shifted from his father to his future father-in-law he had to once again think of how amazing the blonde-haired man was. Ranma thought back over the events that led to him meeting Seshou Kuramitsu.

*********

Two Months Ago

Ranma was in front of the shrine moving slowly through one of the katas that Cologne's scroll had described. This one was a slow precise kata designed not to exercise the body but to calm the mind and integrate it into the whole. Unfortunately, this time the kata wasn't working like he hoped, his body performed the steps with skill and poise but his mind wouldn't focus. The reason for this distraction, Mihoshi. Every fiber of his being was focused on her, from martial arts to a leaf falling to the ground, everything conjured up images of his blonde-haired bombshell. "Speaking of Mihoshi," Ranma thought as she crested the stairs and entered the shrine area. When she got close he stopped his kata and focused his attention onto his newly acquired fiancé.

"Ranma can we talk?"

"Sure," replied Ranma. He then led Mihoshi to the shrine so they could sit on the steps. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Us, or more precisely our future." She took Ranma's hands and placed them in her lap. "When do you see us getting married?"

Ranma looked into Mihoshi's blue orbs and at that moment he remembered one of the few things his father said on the subject of women. "Son, there will come a time when a woman will ask you a question for which there is no real answer. When that time come,, the only thing you can do is tell the truth, show no fear, and above all else, hope to she doesn't find anything wrong with your answer." So in one of those rare moments of his life Ranma followed his father's advice and told the truth. "Well, I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess we should get married after the battle."

Mihoshi shook her head, "No, we can't wait until after the battle."

"Why?"

Mihoshi's grip upon his hands increased astronomically, "Ranma I'm scared, no terrified, about the battle. I've seen the way you fight remember? When you fight someone who is really skilled or powerful, you totally focus on the fight. I want you to have something that will remind you that you have things to live for, so you won't take a chance that might get you killed."

Ranma reached up and placed his hand on her cheek to wipe away the tear that formed there, "If you want to get married early then we will. But you should know something, nothing could ever make me forget that I have you."

Mihoshi smiled beatifically and lightly kissed Ranma upon the lips. When their lips parted she jumped up abruptly, "I've got to call my parents," she exclaimed. She then ran away leaving a befuddled Ranma in her wake.

*********

Two Weeks Later

Ranma was in pure heaven. He was laying on a picnic blanket with the remnants of a lovingly prepared lunch discarded to the wayside, and the warmth of the sun beaming down upon him and Mihoshi. As he lay there stroking Mihoshi's long blonde hair he thought about how lucky he was to have such a loving and understanding fiancé as she. Since the two of them had been formally engaged, Ranma had little time to spend with the woman he loved. With Cologne's help he had been training the Senshi vigorously, and when he wasn't doing that he was engaged in some personal training. Along with that he had to continue his tutoring sessions with Washu (something his mother had insisted on), handle the chores he had around the house, and spend some quality time with Mihoshi. Unfortunately the amount of time in a day is short, and with all the tasks he must perform, sufficient time with Mihoshi is in even shorter supply. But she understood and did everything in her power to make time, this picnic was one such moment that she was able to spare for them.

So here they were, just laying on the blanket with nary a care in the world. This blissful state was soon interrupted by a creaning noise coming from above them. Ranma recognized this sound and in his time at the Masaki home grew to fear it. When he first arrived Washu gave him a briefing so that his safety would be ensured. Part of that briefing was on Mihoshi and some of the stuff that she did, like landing a shuttle. The sound was so similar to the one Washu had recorded that Ranma had to check to reinforce the feel of Mihoshi on his chest. She was there and like Ranma, she looking for the source of the noise. 

Ranma and Mihoshi's search came to an abrupt end when something struck the water and created a deluge to envelop the couple. When the flood waters receded Mihoshi's head was resting firmly on Ranma's generous breasts. Now you may ask why Ranma was a woman while he was able to control his curse. The answer to that question was a simple one, you see for the longest time Ranma's curse was activated by cold water and over time Ranma's subconscious developed an equation, cold water + male Ranma = female Ranma. Since the time he gained the ability to control the curse it was rare for him to change gender without his desire to but it happened. Usually the cause for this was those times he was so shocked at the water that the subconscious equation kicked in and he changed. This was one of the times and so as the cold waters of the lake struck Ranma's body, SCHPROING! Instant breasts.

When the pleasant sensation of Mihoshi's head on his breasts vanished Ranma looked up to see that said girl was running towards the lake screaming gleefully all the while. Sitting in the middle of the lake was what appeared to be a standard GP-issue long-range shuttle. Since Mihoshi was a member of the GP Ranma ended up learning a little about them. What interested him the most was the ships that the Galaxy Police use in their operations. Ranma had never really been into anything techy, but having the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe as his teacher had some effect on Ranma. He was entranced by the subject of space flight and the fantastic speeds that ships could achieve. 

As Ranma walked up to Mihoshi he saw that she was frantically fussing with her hair trying to make it look presentable. When she laid eyes upon Ranma she asked, "Ranma, how do I look?"

Ranma looked down at Mihoshi's feet and started up her body. Her feet were bare and her pants were dripping onto them. Her khaki pants were soaked through and clung to her skin like they were painted on. The pants showed so much that when Ranma's eyes reached her waist he was an able to see her panties clearly defined. Tucked into the pants was a black tank top, which was equally soaked. So soaked in fact that Ranma was able to see that Mihoshi was not wearing a bra and that her breasts were naturally like that. Her hair was undone and plastered to her head and her shoulders. All in all the image Mihoshi presented was very favorable to Ranma, but he knew that if she wanted to make a good impression with someone her attire was not what she wanted to be wearing.

"You look great. If you like the whole wet t-shirt thing that is."

Mihoshi looked down at herself and shrieked. In a flash she had out her cube and was frantically operating it. She looked up at Ranma and said, "Quick! Turn into a guy. I don't want you to meet them as a girl!"

Ranma's body shifted and the smooth curves of his female form were once again replaced by the hard muscle of manliness. "Ok, I'm a guy. Now who are we going to meet?"

"My parents!" With that she found the right combination and her sodden appearance was replaced with a clean, dry Mihoshi wearing a light blue sundress decorated with yellow flowers.

At the same time Mihoshi's clothes changed, Ranma felt a tingle pass through his body. At first he had thought that Mihoshi's cube had somehow transformed him back into a woman but when he looked down he did not see the abundant cleavage of his female side. What he did see was that his attire had changed and instead of wearing a tee shirt and shorts he was now wearing a white Chinese style shirt and matching black pants. From the feel of the material it was silk and now that Ranma got a better look at the shirt he could see a design woven into the material that complemented Mihoshi's dress.

Then what Mihoshi had said finally set in. He was about to meet Mihoshi's parents. Traditionally this was a time that all men feared, the time when they meet the parents of the girl, or woman, they intend to marry. Having seen plenty of television when he wasn't in a life or death struggle at the Tendo Dojo, Ranma was an expert on such matters. There were two primary things that television taught him about this sort of situation; one, parents can smell fear, and two, fathers always carry shotguns.

As Ranma stood there in the clothes that Mihoshi provided, he went over what his beloved told him about her parents. Seshou Kuramitsu, Mihoshi's father, worked with the Galaxy Police as a District Attorney of sorts. According to Mihoshi, Seshou would be called to whatever planet the GP needed a prosecutor and would impartially try the case. To avoid any suggestion of partiality on the part of the GP he was under that aegis of the Galactic Council, a sort of intergalactic UN that ensures peace among the member worlds. Minato Kuramitsu, Mihoshi's mother, was a minor member of the Juraian aristocracy who trained as a pilot. According to Mihoshi, there was no spacecraft that Minato couldn't fly. She was a wiz at the controls and performed maneuvers that other pilots wouldn't think of trying. Unfortunately, Minato had her weaknesses, and it was landing. Minato had a philosophy regarding landing, "Any landing you can walk away from is a good one." This philosophy made her a menace to any who were in the vicinity of her landing sites. Luckily for those people, she usually tried to land in water, which resulted in the deluge that cascaded over Ranma and Mihoshi.

Shortly after Mihoshi changed their clothes the shuttle moved close to the edge of the lake and a hatch opened in the side of the ship. From the hatch a gangplank extended down unto the shore and a man appeared in the hatchway. He walked down the gangplank with a regal manner and as soon as he stepped foot upon the soil he was tackled by Mihoshi who was gleefully yelling, "DADDY!"

With his daughter in his arms, Seshou Kuramitsu spun around laughing happily. "Mihoshi! How's my favorite daughter doing," he asked as he returned Mihoshi to the ground. 

"Great Dad," Mihoshi then held out her hand and angled her engagement ring so that Seshou could see it. "This is the ring that Ranma gave me, isn't it beautiful?"

From inside the shuttle came a voice, "Indeed it is. And I assume that the man with you is this Ranma we keep hearing about." From the darkness of the shuttle stepped a tall woman dressed as a some form of intergalactic pirate. From the flowing red cape to the large belt rested at an angle on her hips Minato Kuramitsu looked every bit the part. Instead of walking down the ramp she jumped into the air and at her apex she passed in front of the sun. When she landed before Ranma the pirate outfit was gone and it's place was a simple blouse and skirt that flattered her figure but didn't reveal anything like her previous one.

To say that Ranma was shocked was to say that Mt. Everest was JUST a molehill. Of all her talks about her mother, Mihoshi never mentioned anything like this. It seemed as if Minato was a typical noble, that is she was weird. Ranma's musings were cut short by his internal warning systems and when he looked at Minato he saw that it was justified. Minato's eyes were large and the smile on her face was even larger. One second after he noticed this Minato grabbed him in a hug that resulted in his head planted firmly in Minato's bosom.

********

Mihoshi stood in her room in the Masaki home and admired her reflection in the mirror. For her wedding she was wearing a modern Earth dress that fit her perfectly and would give Ranma something to think about while at the same time being conservative. As she stood there she was assailed by emotions of both joy and worry. Marriage was a big step, one that she more than happy to take but at the same time she was deathly afraid. As an engaged couple she and Ranma were happy and content but she knew marriage may change that. Unlike the people of Earth, her people didn't believe in divorce. No, when a couple on her world decided to marry they had to be completely sure because there was no getting out of. Till death do us part on her world meant just that. So like any who were about to walk down the isle there were second thoughts, but her mind drifted back to the times when Ranma would hold her in his arms or look at her as if she was the only person in the universe and she knew that she was making the right choice.

Looking up from her reflection in the mirror Mihoshi saw her mother leaning against the door. Minato's eyes were red and while she wasn't crying at the moment the tear tracks from a previous crying session were evident on her cheeks. Mihoshi turned to look at her mother, "What's wrong?"

"I can't tell you how happy I am for you. For years it has been my dream to see you meet someone nice and start a family with them. But now that its happened I feel like I'm loosing my daughter."

Mihoshi walked to her mother and embraced her, "Mom I'll always be your daughter and nothing is going to change that." Mihoshi then pulled away to look Minato in the eyes, "Think of it this way, you're not loosing a daughter, you're gaining a son. A son that you can be proud of. I know I am." 

Minato smiled at her daughter's wisdom, "You're right. This is a time for joy not tears. Thank you."

Mihoshi turned to mirror to examine her reflection once more. "I should be thanking you and Daddy. You're the reason Ranma and I are dressed like we are."

*********

One Month Earlier

Two combatants stared down each other across the field of battle All the arguments had been made, all the reasons stated. Now they had reached this point.

"Shinto!"

"Juraian!"

Nodoka and Azusa were standing at either end of the Masaki dining room table with their hands on the table staring each other down. When Azusa had heard that Mihoshi and Ranma were planning a wedding, with their parents help of course, he decided to help. Since Ranma was now a knight of Jurai Azusa felt that he should be there. That way Juraian interests, i.e. Azusa's interests, were assured. The discussion over the wedding ceremony soon dissolved into a shouting match between Nodoka and Azusa. Azusa favored a formal Juraian ceremony that would have been several hours long while Nodoka favored a proper Shinto ceremony.

As Nodoka and Azusa argued Ranma and Mihoshi sat and watched, their heads turning back and forth to look at the individual speakers. In imagining the setup for their wedding Ranma and Mihoshi never thought it would end up like this.

The grief they were experiencing must have been evident on their faces since Minato stood and declared, "Why don't we have the wedding naked?!" 

The father's Genma and Seshou who were sitting next to Minato were shocked. Genma was so shocked that he began choking, a condition that Seshou was only too quick to fix. Seshou knew that his wife was eccentric at times but he never realized that she would suggest something like that.

Funaho, who had been listening in on the wedding preparations from her spot on the couch, showed little response to Minato's wild suggestion. The only sign she had heard anything was the slight twitch that had formed in her left eyebrow and several hairs that were out if place. These were quickly smoothed back down.

Azusa and Nodoka were horrified with Minato's suggestion, a wedding where all he attendees were naked?! Why, the very idea was scandalous! They looked at each other and after several seconds a silent pact was made between the two of them. For the time being they would set their differences aside so that they could combat this new foe. So with a nod of their heads, Azusa's and Nodoka's path was set.

"Now see hear," Azusa exclaimed.

"Weddings are a time of dignity and honor," continued Nodoka.

"A time reverence and sophistication," added Azusa.

"Having a wedding where everyone is naked," said Nodoka.

"IS SIMPLY NOT ALLOWED," bellowed Nodoka and Azusa together.

Minato folded her arms across her chest, "Well, what would you suggest then? Because at the rate you two are going Ranma and Mihoshi will never have their wedding."

Genma shakily raised his hand. He had a suggestion that he was sure that Ranma and Mihoshi would like but he was afraid how his wife and Azusa would react. Those two could be downright terrifying. "I have a suggestion. Why don't we have a western wedding," he said as he cowered in fear.

Ranma and Mihoshi perked up at hearing Genma's suggestion. A western ceremony was perfect, they were dignified and honorable while being reverent and sophisticated. And as an added benefit you don't have to sit on your shins for untold hours. As a unified front they exclaimed, "We'll do that!"

Genma was happy that his son was happy with his suggestion. "Hopefully," he thought, "Nodoka will see how happy the boy is and agree. Because there is now way in hell that I am going to sit though ANOTHER day long wedding." He looked to the heavens to beseech the gods, "Wasn't my wedding enough?!"

Nodoka looked at her son to explain to him the necessity of having a traditional wedding but when she saw the look on her son's face the objection died on her lips. For you see Ranma was her son and there was no way that she would allow anything that would destroy his happiness, and if a western wedding made Ranma happy then so be it. Nodoka sat down and smiled at her son, "That sounds very good dear."

Azusa got pale. Here was his biggest supporter for a traditional wedding, Juraian or Shinto, and she folded upon looking at her son. Well he wouldn't stand for that. "But I . . ." 

"Ahem."

If it was even possible Azusa got paler when he heard the soft noise that he knew came form his wife. Azusa slowly turned his head to look at Funaho and saw the most terrifying thing in the universe, the beginning of a glare. With some people, like Misaki, a glare can be scary and even terrify some lesser individuals. But a glare from Funaho is a soul chilling experience. Those slim few who have been graced by a glare from Funaho have experienced terror filled nightmares for years. At risk to his neck, Azusa whipped his head around to face those at the table and sat down. "A western wedding! That sounds great! Well done Genma! Keep up the good work!"

Everyone at the table had no doubt of what went on between Azusa and Funaho but for Ranma and Mihoshi it mattered little. They were just happy to have the major stumbling block to their happiness out of their way. 

*********

Usagi looked over the women assembled in Rei's living room and was proud. Over the two months her Senshi had trained vigorously and each had made her proud. Though they have made little progress with their Senshi powers, every one of them have made great strides in physical combat. But more important than that, they were closer now than ever before. Usagi was roused from her thoughts by a frantic Rei.

"Usagi quick! How do I look," asked Rei.

Though this was the fourth time that she had asked Usagi the same question, she calmly looked at her friend. Rei was wearing a red dress that ended at her knees and had a high neckline. For Rei this was rather conservative but she was able to make it look good. "You look great Rei!" Usagi said with a smile.

"Thanks!" Rei enthusiastically exclaimed. She then calmed down slightly, "Sorry, its just that I love weddings. They're so romantic."

Minako slid up next to Rei and excitedly nodded her head. "You're so right Rei. Weddings are the most romantic thing in the world." She then developed a conspiratory grin, "They are also the perfect place to meet guys."

Before Minako could continue Usagi left to check on Mamoru and make sure that he was ready.

Sitting in a chair with a sour expression on her face was Haruka. She was wearing a yellow dress of the same design as the rest of the Senshi. Thus her sour look. She had wanted to be wearing a tuxedo but Usagi had shot that hope down quickly, especially since she had dragged all the Senshi to buy dresses at the same time. Haruka then sadly thought of the one Senshi who was not there with them, Setsuna. In the time since she tried to attack Ranma, Setsuna had made little progress, and with the Time Gates not responding to her everyone decided that it was better that Setsuna not attend the wedding. 

Makoto was antsy. She so wanted to get to the wedding. But not for the same reason as Minako. Makoto wanted to see Shiro once more. Ever since she first saw Shiro she knew that he was the one for her, and in whatever free time she had she worked her hardest to make sure he knew the same thing. Luckily, Shiro seemed to return her interest but they decided to take a page for the book of love that Mihoshi and Ranma were using and take it slow.

Usagi strode back into the room with Mamoru in tow. "Is everyone ready?"

Those who were sitting stood and smoothed their dresses and there was a general rush by all to make sure that they looked fine. Then they all headed out and down the stairs so that they could go to Nerima and their ticket to Okayama. 

*********

In the Tendo Dojo, if there was an outsider then they would be witness to a sight that few have seen, Kasumi Tendo hopping on one foot while frantically tying the bow in her hair with her teeth. Normally nothing fazed Kasumi but when something like a wedding cropped up she became somewhat unhinged. You see she, like Rei, loved weddings and since it was Ranma who was getting married then it was even better. When she made it to the living room she saw that Nabiki was already in her outfit for the wedding, but unlike the way she felt Nabiki did not look like she wanted to go to the wedding.

Nabiki sat on the verandah staring out at the koi pond that had seen so much attention since a certain martial artist came to live at the Tendo Dojo. To think it has been less than two years since the time that Ranma was first plunked in front of her. Less than two years of missed opportunities and broken hearts. And now here she sat, alone and in a dress so that she could attend Ranma's wedding. Not to her, but another. "At least," Nabiki thought, "he's with someone that he can love and trust." As a tear traveled down her cheek she whispered, "But I wish it was me."

"You still love him don't you," Kasumi asked as she sat next to Nabiki.

Upon realizing that someone was there to see her Nabiki hastily wiped her eyes of any tears that may have collected on her cheeks. Nabiki was about to issue a denial but upon seeing the serious expression on her sister's face she knew that Kasumi would see through any denial she may come up with. "Yeah. Yeah I do. Why wouldn't I? Ever since he came back he has been more mature and smarter. You've seen how he's been with Mihoshi and the way he's been with Hotaru and Sasami. He is going to be a great husband and father and I threw all that away because I was afraid of a guy that could turn into a girl. What's worse was it wasn't the curse that I was afraid of but how people would react when they saw me act like that with a girl." Nabiki then heaved a shuttering sigh, "Sometimes I wish I could go back and get myself engaged to him."

"If you could, would you," Kasumi asked softly.

"God no! You've seen how he is. He's happier than I've ever seen him. And what he has with Mihoshi is simply beautiful. There is no way I would destroy that just to fill my needs." When she finished she shivered as she tried to suppress the tears that were looming behind her emotional floodgates. As she sat there she felt Kasumi's soft hand on her shoulder. Nabiki slowly turned to look at her sister and was rewarded with one of Kasumi's most brilliant smiles. The kind that made the most depressed look up and see the Sun once more.

"Congratulations Sister. You've just taken the first step on the path to getting over him. And it may be a long time before you're done but I'll be here for you if you need me." 

*********

From his place next to Ranma as the best man, Tenchi looked out at the assembled group who were in the courtyard of the Masaki shrine to attend Ranma and Mihoshi's wedding. In the first row on the brides side of the courtyard sat the Sailor Senshi in their terrestrial forms chatting excitedly about the upcoming event. As Tenchi watched them Tenchi marveled at the Senshi. Over the last two months he had been able to get to know these young defenders of the world. To think that such regular girls were gifted with such extraordinary powers. But there was one thing that convinced him that they were able to accomplish all that they said they did, their indomitable spirit. No matter what Ranma, Genma, or Cologne threw at them they kept coming for more. They even withstood Washu's experiments on them to learn more about their powers

Tenchi's gaze then moved from the Sailor Senshi to the row behind them. This row contained one of the most powerful families in the Galaxy, the Juraian Royal Family. The first member to catch his gaze was none other than his future father-in-law and emperor of the Juraian Empire, Azusa Masaki. As usual, Azusa was under a cloud of perpetual grumpiness, the only thing that kept him from being even grumpier was the fact that Ranma and Mihoshi had agreed to have a traditional Juraian ceremony after Jurai was freed from Tokimi's grasp. This brought the amount of weddings the couple had to endure up to four, a western, a Juraian, a Shinto, and an Amazonian ceremony. Azusa's grumpy visage was soon ended by an elbow to the ribs by both Misaki and Funaho. Next to Misaki was a smiling Sasami who was talking to an equally exuberant Ryo-Oh-Ki. Upon seeing Sasami's smiling visage Tenchi's smile grew even larger. Ever since Hotaru came to the Masaki home with the other Senshi she became a fast friend to Sasami and the two of them perked each other up quickly. From the group beside Misaki Tenchi's gaze traveled to the one next to Funaho. First was Yosho in his young form, something that had trouble dealing with. Since they met the Sailor Senshi Tenchi has seen little of his grandfather. For reasons that no one could fathom Yosho spent most of his time with Setsuna, but for the wedding he was alone. Next to Yosho sat the two bright spots in Tenchi's life, Ayeka and Ryoko. During the last two months they had been busy as well, training both themselves and their Senshi allies. As he looked at Ayeka, Tenchi's smile dimmed ever so slightly as he thought about his and Ryoko's combined fears about the upcoming battle. Yes Ayeka was very powerful and skilled, more so than when she first arrived upon Earth. But Ayeka's loves feared that it would not be enough when battling people who could wield Light Hawk Wings.

As Tenchi's gaze moved to the row usually dedicated to the groom's friends and relatives his smile regained it's former brilliance, if not surpassed it. For in this first row sat two of what Haruka had called the Three Stooges. Stooge One, Ranma's father Genma, sat uncomfortably next to his wife Nodoka, who was weeping tears of happiness that her darling boy was getting married. On the opposite side of Genma sat Soun Tendo, the other founding member of the Stooges. Like Nodoka, Soun was crying. Here he was, at an event that would both uphold the spirit of the pledge while at the same time it made his and Genma's plan take a major nosedive. Next to Soun sat an empty chair where the adopted Stooge, Seshou, would sit. The reason Seshou had been labeled a Stooge was a simple one, despite a keen analytical mind, whenever he got around Genma he acted rather stupid. Luckily for everyone else he also acted as a moderator that kept the other two in check. Next to the empty chair sat an extremely uncomfortable looking Minato. Minato was doing something that she hated more than anything else, sitting in one place for a long time while wearing formal Juraian robes. One of the reasons she had liked the idea of a western wedding was that she heard that attendees could wear clothes that were formal casual but Azusa had insisted that as a Juraian noble she had to dress accordingly. So there she sat, bored out of her skull with no one to talk to. 

Behind Minato sat the brightly smiling Kasumi who was valiantly trying to cheer up her sister Nabiki. Of everyone assembled for the event Kasumi was the one who has changed the greatest. When Tenchi first met her Kasumi was a quiet shy young woman who was seemingly set in her life but now that there were those who helped her around the house and for her to talk to she has opened up a great deal. And it was that openness that made Tenchi shudder as he looked at Kasumi's smiling visage. Since she had free time on her hands she went on walks and looked around and on one of her walks she found Washu's lab. Once she started asking questions Washu found that Kasumi had a high aptitude for science and took Kasumi under her wing as her protégé. Next to Kasumi sat said genius, Washu was having a discussion with Cologne on several points about Ki and how it could be generated in massive quantities out of virtually nothing. On the other side of Cologne sat a sad Shampoo. Like the Senshi Shampoo has greatly improved since he first met her. Two weeks ago she had actually managed to pull of a Ki blast. Her Japanese was also improved since she started getting lessons from Washu. 

Finally Tenchi's gaze landed on the man of the hour, Ranma Saotome. Ranma was a source of constant amazement for Tenchi. Ever since they met the Sailor Senshi Ranma has been in constant motion. Every time Tenchi thought about how chaotic his schedule was Ranma would race by on his way to do something. And more importantly Ranma never seemed to let all that he was doing get to him. Here he is standing in a tuxedo about to get married when there was a battle to plan for.

*********

When the music began playing all were quiet and turned their attention to where the steps down to the house were located. There they were treated to a wondrous sight, Mihoshi Kuramitsu, soon to be Saotome, in her glowingly white weeding dress. Those who attended the ceremony wasn't sure if it was something Washu did or something they conjured up in their imagination, but it seemed as if all the light had left the area only to be replaced by the glowing luminescence of Mihoshi's dress and the woman contained within its silken confines.

The one most amazed with Mihoshi was Ranma. In his relatively short lifetime he has been exposed to some of the most beautiful women in the world, many of whom were sitting in the chairs before him, but never before had he seen such beauty as the woman he was about to marry. As Mihoshi walked closer Ranma gave silent thanks to whomever designed the dress she was wearing. Despite seeing her naked on several occasions, this dress with the poofy skirt and tight torso that added to her already generous bust line made Ranma feel more aroused than he had ever felt before. 

As Mihoshi looked down the isle at the man who would soon become her husband she felt her legs try to give way. Luckily she was not alone and the strong grip of her father kept her steady. Stepping upon the dais where Ranma was standing Mihoshi thought how handsome Ranma looked in his black tuxedo. 

Mihoshi looked into her beloved's eyes and thought about how they have changed since she first met her. Before they were confident yet tinged with doubt and fear, now the more negative emotions have been replace by love for her. Not only had Ranma's eyes changed spiritually they had changed physically, the pupil had become more cat-like in appearance and when it was dark his eyes would reflect light like those of cats. His eyes weren't the only things that have changed since Ranma began using the Neko-Ken, his ears have gotten longer and pointier making look like the alien from that old American show Star Trek. Along with his ears his canines have also gotten longer and sharper, something he complained about when he occasionally bit his tongue. While these changes might have disturbed someone else, Mihoshi had faith in her beloved to overcome all obstacles in his path.

The priest spoke the words spoken and heard by countless others before and even more to come. The participants exchanged vows of love and honor that could never be broken. The audience cheered the happy couple. And after many years of constant battles and arguments Ranma Saotome was finally married.

As the newly wed Saotome's made their way down the isle among the joyous cheers of their family and friends Mihoshi leaned her head so that she could whisper, "Guess what Washu told me in the dressing room?"

"I don't know, what?"

"She installed that soundproofing I asked for," Mihoshi replied with a lust filled leer.

Ranma looked into Mihoshi's eyes and while never breaking eye contact he picked up his wife and ran towards their room with every ounce of strength he could muster. The only things that those who were now standing saw was the departed couple's dust trail and the bouquet of flowers Mihoshi had been carrying arcing towards them. Upon seeing the flowers many unwed women in the audience began clamoring for them to ensure that they would be the next to marry. Despite their efforts none of them got it, instead it fell into the hands of the one least likely to go for it, Haruka. 

When the flowers impacted with her chest Haruka reflexively clasped the object. She slowly turned her gaze downwards and was horrified to see what she had caught. Realizing the significance of what had just happened Haruka quickly looked up to see if any of the women itching to get their hands on the bouquet noticed what she had done. Unfortunately they had and Haruka was on the receiving end of death glares being sent her way by a number of the wedding guests, namely Ryoko, Minako, and most surprisingly Usagi. The look that disturbed Haruka the most was not the glares of the women who were unable to claim their prize but the one coming from her love, Michiru. The way she kept on turning her head to look at the priest and then back at her really didn't sit well with the blonde-haired Senshi of Uranus.

Looking at Haruka's plight Mamoru silently thanked whatever god was listening that Usagi wasn't the one to catch the bouquet. But he was not unsympathetic to what she was going through since he could see the look on Michiru's face and understood what kind of stress she was under, sort of. So he cleared his throat and began to talk in a loud voice, "Everybody listen up!" When the entire crowd turned to face him he was somewhat hindered by the fact that he was now the center of attention but he continued on, "Now that the wedding is over and since I doubt we will see Ranma or Mihoshi any time soon, let's all head over to the reception that the Tendo's were gracious enough to hold at their home."

At Mamoru's suggestion there was a resounding cheer among the teaming throng, "HAZAH!" Usagi was so eager to get to the buffet she was ahead of the throng of people rushing headlong down the steps of the Masaki shrine. Soon the entire area was clear of people except Mamoru and Haruka. The look of gratitude was clear on Haruka's face as she made her way to Mamoru. 

When Haruka reached her savior she said, "If I ever rag on you because Usagi gets all hyper about wanting to get married remind me of this. Ok?"

"Hey, no problem. Always eager to help a friend in need." At that the two of them began their trek down to the party. 

*********

As Ranma walked up to the door of the room that he shared with his wife he was panting heavily. Not from the simple exertion of running the whole way to the room, at his current level he could run for extremely long distances carrying weights hundreds of pounds greater than the weight of the soft supple curves of his beloved wife. No, the thing that was causing Ranma to be in this state was the gorgeous blonde contained within his powerful arms. Her hands were roaming their way across his body finding erogenous zone he never realized he had, at least as a man.

"Oh, Ranma," Mihoshi huskily said, "you have no idea how long I have waited for this day."

Now that Ranma didn't need to concentrate as hard as he was when he was running he began to give a little of what he was getting and began to caress Mihoshi's round derrière. "Well I don't know about you but I have been waiting since that first time you jumped into my arms." With that Ranma opened their door and entered fully knowing that before they left they would be husband and wife in every shape of the word.

*********

"I don't believe this," said a stunned Hotaru. 

In her life, several of them in fact, Hotaru had never seen a party like the one currently going on. She had stayed behind at the Masaki home because Sasami wanted to show her something, but now that she was at the party she was shocked. The party to celebrate Ranma and Mihoshi's union had barely been going but an hour, yet many of the party's attendees were already drunk. Mamoru was being chased around by a tipsy Usagi who was saying something about her being Whip Cream and calling him her Pumpkin Pie. Ami was in a corner blushing and quietly giggling while sitting next the giggling girl was Rei who was staring longingly at the running Usagi. Makoto was calmly talking to Shiro Yamada, one of Azusa's guards, so that wasn't so bad. Minako, on the other hand, was running her hands across the backs of two of Azusa's other guards Yuji and oddly enough Rio. The thing that embarrassed the young girl the most was her parents. It was a little known fact that when Haruka got drunk she became a completely different person as made evident by the fact that one of the straps on her gown was down on her arm and she was acting like a sultry seductress. Luckily the only one her father was trying to seduce was mother. Of Michiru there was little to worry about since whenever she got drunk she went into a trance-like state, Hotaru just hoped that no one gave her a major bump because she might try to fight them.

"You've never seen a party held by Ryoko," replied Sasami. "If everyone wasn't drunk by now then I would be worried." As she finished speaking they could hear the loud raucous laughter of Ryoko as she tried to get Tenchi to down the large bottle of sake she was brandishing.

"But what about Ami? She wouldn't drink alcohol," Hotaru firmly stated. She knew that Ami was too uptight to ever touch the stuff when there were all these people to see her.

"Ryoko probably spiked the punch," Sasami said sagely. She then took a very Ryoko-esqe pose, "A party is never truly started until everyone is thoroughly sloshed."

"Well, what are we supposed to drink?" Hotaru did not want to get drunk and she most definitely did NOT want to act like her fellow Senshi. Before she could think more on the display before her Hotaru instinctively caught something. Looking down she saw that she was holding a bottle of water with the pull lid. 

"Here drink this," said Sasami as she was getting a water bottle of her own out of a cooler marked with big letters SASAMI'S WATER. "When I found out about these I had Washu make me some for parties. This way I can drink water and be sure that Ryoko won't put sake into it."

"Do you have anything other than water," Hotaru asked. It wasn't that she didn't like water she just wanted to know what her options were.

"Well, Washu's been working on trying to replicate my favorite soft drink but for some reason it keeps coming out wrong, it's driving her crazy. So until she gets it right we have water," as she finished she held up her bottle as if to make a toast.

Hotaru responded in kind and the two friends joined the party already in progress.

*********

In the room that was shared by the new Mr. and Mrs. Saotome it looked as if a wardrobe had exploded and littered it's contents over the entire room. The focal point for this unbelievable carnage was the bed where the happy couple now resided. Upon the bed lay the sleeping forms of Mr. and Mrs. Saotome, or more precisely Mrs. and Mrs. Saotome because Ranma was currently in his female form. Through the window, which in the newly married couple's haste to consummate their unending love for one another they forgot to close the curtains, streamed the brilliant sunlight of the new morning.

It was this light that began Ranma's return to the land of the conscious. As he slowly woke up he became increasingly aware of the most delightful sensation emanating from his chest. After luxuriating in the glorious sensations for several minutes Ranma opened his eyes to locate their source. Upon opening his eyes Ranma saw that Mihoshi was gently massaging his left breast. Looking at his wife's tanned hand he looked up her arm and into her still sleeping face and smiled. No matter how many times he awoke to see Mihoshi's angelic face lying next to his Ranma knew that he would never get used to it.

"Oh Ranma. How does that feel my love," Mihoshi cooed softly.

Ranma smiled, "She must be dreaming of last night," he thought lustfully. As thoughts of what had transpired the night before entered his mind it only added to the arousal that his wife was generating in him by her massaging of his breast. He also began to feel the heat in his belly like he had the night before but as he was about to waken Mihoshi for another bout of lovemaking another feeling entered his belly. This feeling proved to every bit as powerful as his rising arousal and that feeling was hunger. So now Ranma faced a problem that all Saotome men since the dawn of time have faced, make love to a beautiful and VERY loving wife, or eat.

Luckily Mihoshi, the most wonderful wife in the universe, solved this problem. With half closed eyes and drool running down the corner of her mouth, Mihoshi sat up on her knees and blearily said, "I'm hungry."

With that statement a beam of light seemed to shine brighter upon Mihoshi's naked flesh, and to Ranma's ears it was if a choir of angels were singing. It was in that moment that Mihoshi truly lived up to the name, Saotome.

*********

As Ranma and Mihoshi entered the living room of the Masaki home after finishing their bath they came upon the bodies of several of their friends. From the littered remains of several sake bottles Ranma could tell that after the wedding reception had finished over at the Tendo's, several of the guests had moved to the living room to continue the festivities. The happy couple continued on into the kitchen to scrounge up something to eat but they saw that there was no need for that as Sasami was busy making breakfast.

The young princess of Jurai looked up from the food she was preparing when she heard that someone entered her domain. Upon seeing that it was Ranma and Mihoshi Sasami smiled brightly and walked over to give her friends a hug. "Good morning. How does it feel to be married," Sasami wanted to know more but she knew any sort of questions her mind could create would go unanswered as long as Ranma was still in the room. While they never answered her question Sasami could tell that they felt wonderful in the way that they looked into each other's eyes, saying so many things without uttering the slightest sound. 

When Sasami asked her question, Mihoshi turned to look at her spouse to see if he could come up with the words to articulate what they were feeling, for she could not. Instead of a response Mihoshi found herself staring into her husband's blue orbs. She had heard from those women who were married that when it happened she would feel completely different, until now she could never understand that. Mihoshi had slept next to Ranma for months, she had bathed with him, they had even made out. When she had woken up on her wedding day she had been scared but other than that nothing felt different. But today Mihoshi understood what her mother had told her, maybe it was the intense lovemaking or the simple fact that they were married, but she did feel different. For some reason she loved Ranma more than ever, and if the look in Ranma's eyes was any indication he was feeling the same thing. After being lost in Ranma's eyes for a good while Mihoshi remembered that Sasami was in the room as well and looked back at the young princess and saw that she wanted to talk to her while Ranma was not in the room. Mihoshi once again turned to look at Ranma and smiled at her beloved husband, "Ranma you can go and do your morning training, I'll stay and help Sasami with breakfast."

Ranma looked to his wife, "Are you sure?" Before he was married he never thought that he would be so reluctant to leave Mihoshi's side even for training but now that he was married he didn't want to leave.

"Yes I'm sure," Mihoshi said as she hugged and kissed Ranma. "Now shoo, girl talk."

At hearing that Ranma high tailed it out of the kitchen for less dangerous ground, like the inside of a nuclear reactor.

When Ranma was safely away and no one could here them talk Mihoshi turned to Sasami, "So what do you want to talk about?"

Sasami got a wicked grin on her face, "So, what was it like?" Though the it was emphasized just like the other words, Sasami knew that Mihoshi knew what she meant. She was getting older and she had began noticing certain things like boys and sex and since she didn't want to go and ask her mother, that would be way too embarrassing, her friend was the next best thing.

Seeing Sasami's excited state and feeling rather playful Mihoshi decided to play with her young friend's mind, "I slept fine thank you."

Sasami pouted, "That's not what I mean and you know it. So what was IT like?!"

Mihoshi was unable to contain her excitement and had to tell her friend all that she could. "It was wonderful! Oh Sasami, I know parents say that waiting is the best thing and I think they were right. When we made love it was the most beautiful thing I've ever experienced, it was like, for an instant, Ranma and I ceased to be individuals and instead became something greater. And while that feeling is gone a part of him is still here, in my heart, " Mihoshi placed her hands over her heart and sighed in remembrance of all that happened the night before. 

At hearing such a romantic event Sasami also sighed and hoped that one day she would be as lucky as Mihoshi. Then she realized what Mihoshi was implying and gasped in shock, "You don't mean?!"

Mihoshi giddily nodded her head in affirmation.

"But how, how did you bond?" The bond was something that all Juraian couples aspired to achieve. It was said that when two people were so in love with each other that their souls literally joined to together in an experience of pure joy. While the feeling lasts for but a moment the effects last a lifetime. The couple's souls never completely separate and creates something that can not be described by words or thoughts. For those rare few that have been privileged enough to achieve this state they are so closely tied that no even the veil of death can separate them. And if what Mihoshi said was true then Sasami had to know how they did it so that she could one day get the same thing.

"Sasami there will people that give this piece of advice and that piece of advice but what I am going to tell you is the most important piece of advice ever. When you finally find a man to settle down with make sure that he has the same curse that Ranma does."

"Why?"

"Because he will know what it is like for us and how we like certain things. I don't know how Tenchi's first time was but I know that part of the reason what Ranma and I shared was so great was that curse. Ranma's knowledge of women allowed us to reach a level of pleasure as great as our intense love for each other and we experienced a joy that I never knew existed."

Sasami looked at her friend in awe, "Wow."

"But enough about us we need to get breakfast going or there are going to be some very upset people," with that the two friends returned to their job.

*********

The meal was done, the bags were packed, and the entire Masaki clan was ready to go into a battle against a foe that no one was sure they could beat. Currently the group was mulling about as they waited for their allies to arrive. The first through the door was Cologne and Shampoo. The two women strode with purpose and regality befitting their status as Amazons until they reached their leader, Ranma. 

"Are you sure that you do not wish us to accompany you Ranma," Cologne asked solemnly.

Ranma shook his head, "Yes I am. We're going to be going up against things more powerful than even Saffron. No offense, but I doubt either of you can handle that. What I want you to do is to carry on and make our new tribe strong. Don't worry," he said with his regular cocky grin, "I'll be back."

Cologne raised an eyebrow at his display of bravado. She knew that he was far more powerful than ever before but he was going into battle against beings whose power dwarfed his a hundred fold. Ranma was like a son to her and it broke her heart to know that this time he wouldn't be coming back. 

Before Cologne could say anything there was a loud thump that emanated from the portal door. The door vibrated, shook, and made other noises until it flew open and out spilled a mountain of luggage and several of the Sailor Senshi. From in side the blackness of the portal came Rei Hino's shrill voice, "USAGI YOU MEATBALL HEAD! I said open the door then push the luggage through!"

Usagi was about to issue a heated retort but was stopped by hand entering her field of vision. Following the hand to its source Usagi saw that her rescuer was Ranma. She gladly took his offer of help and stood up. "Thanks Ranma."

"Hey always willing to help a friend in need. So what is all the luggage for?"

"You said that we would be gone for awhile and you don't want us poor girls to be without our clothes do you," Usagi asked with a pout.

"Ah. No," Ranma replied shakily.

Stepping over the piles of luggage and being careful not to trip was Mamoru followed by the rest of the group, "So Ranma, how long will we be gone?"

"I can answer that," replied Azusa. "We'll be pushing the Throne's engines to their safest speed so it should take us three days. As for how long it will take once we reach Jurai I don't know."

Everyone was somber at that. They all knew that there was a good chance that they might not be coming back. The ones who had it the worst were the Senshi though, because like every other time they went to do battle they couldn't tell their families that they might not ever seen them again. 

The one to break this somber mood was Usagi, "Wait a minute. Didn't you say that when you came here it was so fast that you were here in an instant? Why don't we do that again?"

As Ami raised her hand and began to open her mouth to explain things Washu slid up next to Azusa. A podium appeared in front of her and she was wearing her professor outfit. "It is quite simple. The amount of space between the various celestial bodies is so great that using the chemical based rockets of Earth would make any journey to another planet impractical. That is why most space faring races have come up with other methods of propulsion. Most of these races have engines that allow the ship to travel through subspace. Since the distance between two points is smaller the deeper one goes into subspace thus giving the ship the appearance of traveling faster than light while bypassing the standard rules of relativity in respect to time differential. The Throne's tree is able to use it's vast energy as granted by Tsunami to tear open a hole in subspace so deep that it will take us only three days to reach Jurai, whereas it would take a standard ship two weeks or more. If the Throne is pushed far enough it can tear open a hole in subspace so deep that the distance between Earth and Jurai is effectively zero but to do this the Throne places itself in severe danger." When Washu finished her lecture the podium disappeared and her regular clothes replaced her professors get up. She was feeling quite happy with herself and asked Usagi, "Do you understand now," but her happiness was replaced with despair at the glazed expression on Usagi's face.

"You had me up to, 'It is quite simple'," Usagi sheepishly replied. 

Ami grinned smugly in Washu's direction. She knew that Usagi was not going to be able to understand Washu's insanely over-complicated answer and had developed one of her own. "Ok Usagi, try this. First imagine a doughnut."

Usagi began to drool at the thought of a donut. "What kind of doughnut?"

"Powdered," Ami drolly replied. "Now imagine a blue sprinkle on one side of the doughnut, this will be Earth, and a green sprinkle on the opposite side of the doughnut will be Jurai." 

Azusa looked very cross at the notion of Jurai being represented by a sprinkle on a doughnut.

"Now imagine that there was a tiny space ship on the doughnut, but it could only go along the outside of the doughnut, it would take them a long time wouldn't it."

Picturing what Ami was describing Usagi shook her head, "Yeah, go on."

"Let's say that the ship was able to dig into the area under the powder, this is subspace. So the deeper you go into subspace the shorter the trip is understand?"

Usagi nodded sagely, "It makes since. And if you go deep enough into the doughnut, er subspace, you get to a point where the amount of time it takes to go to Jurai gets to zero. Right?"

"That's right Usagi. I'm glad you understand," Ami said with a smile.

"Great! Come on Mamo-chan let's get our stuff into the ship," and with that she dragged the helpless Mamoru towards the waiting Throne.

*********

Later On

With all the bags packed and the good-byes said, the force that would save Jurai from its greatest foe boarded the Throne to start their journey. Once onboard, Azusa led the entire group into the heart of the Throne and showed them all its tree. Those who have never seen the magnificent tree stood in awe at its gargantuan size. The tree was easily tree times bigger than Yosho's tree, Funaho, and the entire assembly stood in respectful silence as they felt the age and power of the being that was before them all. Detaching from the rest of the group Azusa walked up to the tree and placed his hand upon its ancient bark. 

As Azusa communed with the ancient tree, Usagi, still in a state of awe, remarked, "Its so old."

Washu heard this, "It should be. The tree you see before you is, other than Tsunami, the oldest Juraian tree. When Melkor attacked my home universe, the only one whose followers survived was Tsunami's. They came on this ship and it has been the ship of the Royal Family ever since."

"Woooow," Usagi said with awe. Before she could ask any other questions the tree began to glow brightly and the room was filled with intense energy.

As the tree glowed every Juraian in the room could feel its power as the energy seeped into every molecule of their body, giving them strength and a sense of peace. Those who had keys of their own could feel the energy even more. Tenchi and Ranma, who had just received their keys only two days ago, were amazed at what they could feel. Tenchi was used to it to a certain degree, since he had used the Tenchi-ken, but he had never truly been in sync with it, now though he was getting the full might of the energy and was reveling in it. The power, the absolute peace, it was almost more than he could handle. Ranma on the other hand, was silently weeping. In his life he had felt power untold, but peace was something of a commodity in his life, one that was in very short supply. But the absolute peace and tranquility he was experiencing at that moment overwhelmed him. The only thing that kept him from falling to his knees was his beloved wife's hand whose firm grip kept him in place. At his side Mihoshi also wept, for she could feel everything that he was through their link. And though it was dulled slightly, what she received was very powerful indeed.

From the tree extended a wave of power so awesome that those who were not of Jurai fell down. For those standing outside along the bank of the lake to see their comrades off they were treated to a spectacular sight. The Throne sat several inches above the surface of the lake for some time and then those who could detect varying forms of energy knew something was coming. Then electricity began to arc off the Throne and a keening noise started up and began to increase in intensity as if the very air around them began to protest what was going on. Soon a wave of power burst from the ship as a hole filled with a swirling miasma of colors appeared before it. Without seeming to move the Throne entered the hole and both it and the miasma disappeared without a trace.

Standing upon the dock was Nodoka Saotome who was looking at the spot that the Throne, and her son, just was. "Good luck my son." She turned and faced her husband as his strong arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Don't worry my love," said Genma as he too stared at the spot the Throne just vacated. "Our son will be back," he looked at Nodoka and grinned at her in the way he knew made her fall in love with him so many years ago, "after all he is a Saotome. And a Saotome never looses."

*********

As the various couples settled themselves in for their voyage, Usagi gathered together her Senshi, her family, in one of the Throne's meeting rooms. Those Senshi who represented the planets on the interior of the asteroid belt sat on one side of the conference table starting with Mamoru and ending with Rei, while the Senshi who represented the planets on the other side of the belt sat on the opposite side starting with Makoto and ending Michiru. Usagi stood at the head of the table looking as regal as her friends had ever seen her. But unlike all the other times they had been with Usagi, a cloud of uneasiness surrounded the normally cheerful woman.

"First of all I would like to say how proud I am to be your leader. You've all come a long way in your training and are more powerful than ever. Even better is that you all work better together as the team that I knew you could be." She paused in what she was saying as several people at the table cheered at their leader's praise. Usagi smiled weakly at their merriment for she knew that what she was about to say would upset her friends seriously. "In three days we'll be landing on Jurai to fight Tokimi and whatever forces she has."

"But we don't know what she'll have," replied Minako.

"She's evil. That means she has an army of low level flunkies," Haruka responded flippantly.

"Right. You guys have come so far, I know that you will do well against them."

Rei raised an arm and an eyebrow, "Somehow I'm sensing a but here." 

Usagi looked away guiltily, "Well, you're right about that. You see, as you guys are fighting, Hotaru and I will follow Ranma and his crew to fight Tokimi." When she made this announcement the room exploded into chaos. Amidst the various cries of protest and different ways of calling her stupid stood Usagi, at the head of the table never moving or crying as her friends tried to convince her to change her mind. After several minutes of berating Usagi started to talk, "That is ENOUGH," and with that she slammed her hand on the table. The sudden display of anger startled all of the people in the room into complete silence. Never in their entire lives have they seen Usagi display any anger at the level that she just did. "Do you know what will happen if you follow us? DO YOU? You'll all die that's what."

"You don't know that for sure," countered Rei unsteadily. The way Usagi was acting really was beginning to disturb her. This was not how she should act, Usagi should be happy and leave concerns like this to others. Others who are not as pure and innocent as Usagi.

"Yes. I do. Last night the Crystal gave me a vision of what was going to happen. In it you all come with Hotaru and I and we all die. But unlike all the other times we've died only Hotaru and I will come back. The rest of you will never come back and I will loose you."

"But Usako we, I don't want you to die."

"You don't understand," Usagi said plaintively. "Hotaru and I WILL DIE. It won't matter what you do, it will happen. It has to happen if we are going to win. We'll come back but the rest of you won't. So please," she begged, "don't follow us." The strength that she had at the beginning of the whole ordeal finally left her as she slid into her chair and sobbed. The images of what she had seen in the vision were still fresh in her mind. While the method of her friend's demise was not terrible like what Rei witnessed, she could remember the unending sadness that she had experienced as she held the dead body of her Mamoru and knew that he would never be back. She knew that she would never have Rei call her names, eat Makoto's cooking, or be hit on by Haruka, and while it was selfish of her to not want her friends to die because of how it will effect her but she didn't care. Her friends were everything to her and if anything happened to them, anything, she didn't know what she would do.

Mamoru got up and helped Usagi stand. Taking his sobbing girlfriend in hand he walked her to the conference room door. As he neared the door it quietly slid opened to reveal a startled Mihoshi. "Hey Mihoshi, can you take Usagi to her room?" Mamoru then looked at the woman that he held, "Usako, don't you worry. When the time comes we will stay away," his voice was thick with emotion and unshed tears gathered in his eyes, blurring his vision. Then he did the hardest thing ever, "I promise." 

Usagi buried herself in Mamoru's warm embrace and with tears still streaming down her face she thankfully whispered, "Thank you." She only hoped that when the time came that they would follow through with the promise that Mamoru just made. Breaking from the loving arms of her loving boyfriend Usagi left with Mihoshi.

Mamoru watched as the love of his life walked away and once she was out of sight he lowered his head in thought and turned back into the conference room. When the doors closed he looked back up and saw a sight that still haunted him to this day. The look that Haruka was giving him at the moment reminded him of the threat she had given him all those months ago and it made a certain part of his anatomy ache with the knowledge of what that woman might do to him.

"How. Dare. You," Haruka hissed. "How can you promise her that we'll stay away? We're supposed to protect her."

"No Haruka. Don't be mad at him," Rei stated firmly.

"Why not! He's just going to let her and my daughter die," Haruka angrily retorted.

"You didn't listen to anything Usagi said, did you? Usagi and Hotaru are going to die and nothing we can do will change that." She then waved her hands to indicate the so-called inner Senshi, "Don't you think that any of us would give our lives to keep Usagi safe from anything that would want to hurt her?" She looked down at the table, "But we can't. Not this time. You weren't there when we died during the battle with Galaxia, but I remember the look on Usagi's face as she held my dying body in her arms." Rei looked up and stared Haruka in the eyes, "Do you know what I saw there? Huh?! A sadness so deep and unending that it still chills my soul. If she didn't have to go on and stop Galaxia she would have killed herself right then. If I want to be worthy of her friendship then I will do anything in my power to make sure she doesn't have to go through that again. If Usagi says that it's the only way for us to win then that is what we do and every one of us will like it."

The room was quiet for a long time as each person weighed what was said on their own moral scale. Once their decision was made they all looked to the others to see if they were alone in their choice, they weren't. And so the Sailor Senshi, champions of love and justice, guardians of the last princess of the long-dead Moon Kingdom, all agreed to let their leader and friend die. 

*********

The space above the planet Jurai was quiet, as space was to be, and filled with ships. Ever since Tokimi came to this universe she lacked the necessary facilities to build a fleet, but after the conquering of Jurai this was not a problem. So after forcing Tsunami's chosen to work for her, Tokimi was able to create a fleet of ships to protect her new world. But she soon encountered a new problem, while the Juraians could be forced to work they could not be trusted with the operation of her fleet. The lack of trustfulness on the part of the Juraians was something that Tokimi could not understand. Did she not make them build statues to remind everyone what she looked like. Didn't she address them every day so that they could know her awe-inspiring greatness. But no matter what she did she could not trust them, so Tokimi had to utilize a different source. Her wraiths.

In time unknown, Tokimi was a good person and was loved by all who lived in her solar system. Unlike Tsunami, who has only a small portion of her population that can use her power, all of Tokimi's people could use her power. When Melkor and his army swept through her home, her brothers and sisters placed every resource at their disposal into the effort to stop the marauders. Unfortunately, Tokimi's followers were artisans and pacifists who had never known the evils of war and the terrible destruction man can rain done upon each other and were cast into the void forever. But something of them survived, as each person died Tokimi could feel their pain and terror and she could hear their death screams, but there was some small measure of comfort that could have been gained if not for the fact that her entire civilization had not just collapsed. For you see, as each one of Tokimi's innumerable followers died they left an echo of themselves on Tokimi. For some, the knowledge that all they loved lived on within them would bring them comfort, but not Tokimi. What good were shadows when they couldn't live their lives as they should have? These shadows remained as a constant reminder to Tokimi that she had failed those who loved her and whom she loved. So instead of bringing peace they brought heartache and pain. 

From the time since they died these shadows remained locked away so as not to cause Tokimi too much pain. Now though, she once more has a use for them, no matter how painful it was for her. So answering her call Tokimi's shadows appeared before her in the guise of wraith-like echoes of their former selves. Though they appear as shadow each Wraith can manipulate objects in space to a limited degree. This level of control was more than enough to control her new fleet and so they did. Now Tokimi had a fleet of ships crewed by creatures whose loyalty to Tokimi was unquestionable.

The only problem that the Wraiths had was that they were the remnants of pacifists and artisans. That means that they have all the tactical acumen of a shoe. This was the reason that instead of being all spread out so that a single shot couldn't take out multiple ships, they were all clumped together. And so most of Tokimi's new fleet was instantly destroyed in the fury of space being ripped asunder that heralded the arrival of the Royal Throne of Jurai. In the chaos that followed the Throne's entry into normal space, Azusa was able to instruct the Throne to destroy the rest of the enemy fleet.

In the Throne's observation room everyone not necessary to operate the ship gathered to watch the battle. Ayeka looked out into space and was amazed at the look of the ships that the Throne was currently atomizing. Each had an elegance to them that was beyond that of even the greatest of the Juraian ships and though none ever extended a single Light Hawk Wing each remaining ship required several of the Throne's most powerful beams to destroy. Not recognizing the ships she turned to Washu, "Miss Washu, what are those ships? I've never seen any quite like that before."

"No, I doubt you have. Those are ships that Tokimi's people designed and built in our home universe. None survived the slaughter of her people, so that means that she must have used the factories on Jurai to build them."

"How could they be powerful enough to stand up against several of the Throne's most powerful weapons?" 

"While Tokimi's people were connected to her power, she would not allow the ships they built to be connected as well. It was Tokimi's belief that while we were here to safeguard our people, we shouldn't do everything for them. Consequently, her people had some of the best engineers around. They were able to create a power source that derived its power from the very fabric of the universe, cosmic strings. Using this technology her ships could do anything that Tsunami's could and in some ways more since they didn't have to worry about the engine as much as you do your tree."

As Washu talked, the Throne finished mopping up the last of Tokimi's forces and began to descend to the planet's surface. In the observation room everyone watched as the stars gave way to clouds. The further down the ship traveled the clouds began to dissipate and allowed all to see the majestic forests of Jurai. At the edge of the forest, those who had never seen Jurai were treated to the glorious sight of the 1st city of the Juraian Empire. This sight was marred by a large golden structure near the imperial palace. It was of a style that none aboard the massive ship could recognize, none that is, except Washu. 

"Tokimi."

Mihoshi turned to Washu, "You know what that is?"

"Yes I do. Though Tokimi was not able to save her people, she was able to salvage her palace. Her people built it as the ultimate tribute to their goddess. They designed the whole structure to be self sufficient, and at its core is a cosmic string generator more massive than any they had ever built. What you see is an ark for all the knowledge of an entire civilization." She then looked at Tenchi, Ranma and Ryoko, "If it isn't too much to ask, can you try not to cause too much damage to it? The information it contains is all that is left of a people that are older than Jurai and is priceless. I don't want it to be you main goal, but please try to show some restraint."

"No problem Mom, we'll try to make it not blow up. Right Guys?"

Tenchi and Ranma nodded their heads, "Right."

"Miss Washu, it strikes me that if Tokimi was able to retrieve her palace and Tsunami had this ship, were you able to bring anything to this universe," Ayeka asked.

"Yes, I was. Like Tokimi, I saved my people's greatest achievement, an artificially created mineral life form. They are amazing creatures, if you add genetic material into their structure in the right way you get a ship that is crystalline in appearance, but if you change the method of introduction slightly you get a ship made out of something different. Each ship was more or less equal in power, but they were more durable depending on the method used to introduce the genetic material. I subconsciously used my knowledge of the technique to make Ryo-Ohki, though she is much stronger owing to the fact that she is linked to Ryoko who is in turn linked to the gems."

Before any further questions could be asked the Throne reverberated with its landing upon Juraian soil. Shortly after that Azusa and his wives came walking in, "Well, we're down. On our approach I used the Throne's sensors to detect any signs that Tokimi may have a force waiting to stop us. There seems to be a large gathering of something at the base of that golden building, but other than that nothing. It seems as if the entire city has been evacuated," he finished with some subtle worry in his voice. Though the lack of people did make the battle to come easier since they didn't have to worry about endangering innocents, Azusa worried about the fate of his people.

"Good. That means we can go all out," Haruka stated as she punched her fist into her open palm.

Usagi nodded her head once, "Right. Senshi!" As once each of the magical warriors withdrew their items of transformation. With the display that only magical girls and their male companions could perform, eight woman and a man changed from every day people into warriors of love and justice. 

The room was filled with a myriad of light spanning the entire spectrum this light was accompanied by a hail of rose petals. All of this combined into an awe inspiring site, or rather it would have been if Ranma had not been coughing up a storm and Mihoshi was not pounding on his back. During a particularly violent cough several red rose petals flew out of Ranma's mouth. With the foreign objects expelled, Ranma could breath and he stood up to give Mamoru a withering glare. "Listen Cape Boy, I thought I told you never to do that near me."

Said Cape Boy, also known as Tuxedo Mask, nervously scratched the back of his head, "Eh heh heh sorry Ranma." Before meeting Ranma, Mamoru thought he had seen the capacity for human anger when the Senshi beat him up all those months ago. But after meeting Ranma he realized that if Ranma ever got mad at him there would be nothing to stop him from turning him into something unrecognizable to human scientists.

After watching a transformation designed by someone with way too much time on his hands, the rest of the group changed into their own battle garb. While the transformation might not be as flashy as their Senshi friends the result was a group of very dangerous and battle-ready people. Or rather that is what it would be if it wasn't for Ranma. You see when Ranma had first laid eyes on the battle armor that the Juraians use he flatly refused to wear it. Firstly they were too confining and wouldn't let him perform his art like he wanted, and secondly there was no way in hell that he would be wearing anything that had puff balls on it. He might be more in touch with his feminine side now but that was a line that all men should be unwilling to cross. So instead he got Washu to make something for him. What she came back with was a more ornate version of what he usually wears, the shirt and pants had various designs woven into them, but had the same durability and protection as the Juraian armor. The only real difference in his outfit was the kind of bracers he had on. Normally they were simple leather that had some metal plates in them to allow for better blocking. Now his bracers look as if they were made of richly detailed wood with a blue gem in laid. These were his key as given to him by his new tree Ryukaze. Each band provided the more protection than his old ones, could form a foot long blade of energy, and, like the Tenchi-ken, allow Ranma to operate any piece of Juraian technology. 

Being the most powerful Juraian in the group, it was Tenchi who was made the leader of the re-invasion force. As he looked at the group Tenchi was afraid, not of the upcoming battle but of sending his friends and family into a situation where someone could wind up dead. "All right, you know the plan. When we hit the ground we all head for Tokimi's palace. Azusa said that as we were coming down the Throne detected something right outside of the palace. Since I doubt our landing went unnoticed this could be a large group of people waiting for us. Once we get into the palace we look for Tokimi and get her to stop this," Tenchi then made an announcement that left a bad taste in his mouth and made him ill, "by any means possible." Though Tenchi didn't like killing, he'll do it if the situation required it, like with the whole Kagato fiasco, but it still left a sour taste in his mouth. In response to his uneasiness the sword that he had tucked in his belt seemed to respond, as if it were trying to cheer him up. The sword was Tenchi's key and identical in every way to Tenchi-ken. The only difference between the two was that the sword linked him to his tree, Ai. Tenchi placed his had on the hilt and raised his other arm over his head. "Ready everyone, then let's go," and with that he left the room.

Tenchi's announcement was responded to with grim nods from everyone in the room. They all knew what Tenchi meant and many did not want anything to do with that but there was nothing they could do. Seeing that no one was going to try and speak out against the obvious edict that they may have to kill Tokimi, the group followed Tenchi. 

*********

The capitol city of Jurai was quiet. There were no animals and the air was still, it was as if the city was dead. The entire planet has been like this since Tokimi came to Jurai. Even when people did go out on the streets everything was quiet. To those who lived on the planet, it felt as if Jurai was unhappy with the fact that its goddess was not free. And so the sun never shined on the planet as a thick blanket of clouds made the brightest day a gray and dreary affair. But on this day there was a difference, for the first time in over four months the wind blew on the planet Jurai, and on the wind was the quiet suggestion of hope.

This was the sight that met the group that appeared on the surface outside the city. To those that had the pleasure of stepping foot on the lush green grass of Jurai and tasting its sweet air, the sight before them made them sick. Even those that had never known what the planet normally looked like knew that something was wrong. As they walked down the streets of a city that normally had a million souls just out walking the streets, every one was left with his or her own thoughts. After all that was said and done each person came to the same conclusion, Tokimi must pay. For while there was no physical damage, to the planet it and the people who lived on it the amount of emotional and spiritual damage was incalculable.

As the group approached Tokimi's palace they began to notice something very odd. At the base of the structure was a black mass. With every step that brought them closer to the palace the mass became more and more visible. Upon reaching the base of the palace they could see that the mass wasn't solid as they originally thought but a swirling undulating cloud. 

"Well, it looks like no one is here to greet us," said a disappointed Haruka. 

As if hearing her complaint portions of the cloud began to consolidate into humanoid forms. To begin with only one or two stepped out of the cloud, but soon a veritable army stood at the cloud's perimeter.

Ryoko turned and threw a glare Haruka's way, "You just HAD to say something didn't you." 

Soon the group of shadow people numbered in the thousands and despite their increasing numbers not a single one of the shadowy forms uttered a single sound. After several minutes of just standing there the first shadow to appear stepped out of the line and raised his arm. As if they responding to a silent command every shadow went from simply standing to looking like they were about to charge. 

Taking their cue from the army in front of them, every one in the small band readied themselves for the battle to come. Energy blades sprung to life, logs appeared out of thin air, lights from every color in the spectrum grew in intensity, and several people pushed off the ground only to float there defying every rule of gravity that existed. Truly this was a magnificent sight and one that people for years to come would think of and wish that they were there to see it. And so the most powerful group of men and women stood together against a foe none had ever seen to save a world that most had never set foot on.

All this was lost on the Wraiths who stood across from the fearsome group. Had this been an army of regular people, the battle might have be won right then but these creatures knew no fear. For what does one fear when one is already dead? So the Wraiths stood still until the one in front lowered its arm, and then as one the entire horde rushed towards the small band.

And thus did the battle of the century begin.

*********

In Ryoko's opinion the battle was not going well. After slicing through the first several shadows that reached her she was confident that this would be a quick battle. That was ten minutes ago. Now though Ryoko's confidence which was so high before was now merely a shell of its former glory. Every time she sliced through a shadow it would fall to the ground dead, then it turned to mist and went back into the cloud only to have another appear form said cloud. "This is ridiculous," she spit in frustration. "How the hell are we supposed to get in if there is no door," since she was the fastest flyer in the group Ryoko was volunteered to fly around the perimeter of Tokimi's palace to look for an entrance. All she found was gold walls and more shadows. Shooting up to a point far above the hordes of shadows Ryoko looked for the one person who could find a way in, Washu. She spotted her quarry in the space between the cloud of blackness and the golden wall of Tokimi's palace. As Ryoko flew towards her mother she noticed that she was having a hard time seeing Washu's arms as they were moving so fast across her astral keyboard and in and out of multiple back holes.

Washu stood in the safety zone of the battle. There was a gap in the battle between the palace wall and the cloud. This gave her a place that she could work without any interruptions. Being unwilling to do any fighting, she decided to do her part and find a way into the palace structure. This was proving a more difficult proposition than she originally thought due to the palace's unique security system. Only Tokimi's people or others that went with Tokimi's people could gain access to the palace. But did that deter the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe? Hell no. Since it was impossible to enter the palace by opening a Light Hawk gateway, she decided on a more technological solution. Utilizing data that she had collected and developed in her time as a mortal scientist, Washu began to pull parts out of subspace that will allow her to make a man made subspace gateway and thereby circumventing the protections built into the palace's architecture. Feeling a particularly strong gust of wind Washu looked up and saw her beloved daughter floating several feet in front of her.

"Yo! Washu! Find us a door! 

"Hold your horses," replied Washu as pulled yet another item out of a black hole that appeared. "Tokimi has a shield that prevents those who wield Light Hawk Wings from teleporting into her palace." As she talked Washu continued to work on the device that she was building. "Therefore we must use a device that I built in my old academy days. Utilizing a highly charged anti-neutron plasma laser the gateway will punch a hole in space and make a wormhole to a point that I calculated to be inside the palace."

As Washu went into great detail about how to make a door Ryoko was getting increasingly angry. This anger only exasperated the anger she was feeling at fighting a never-ending stream of enemies. Soon her anger began to manifest itself visually in the form of lightning arcing across her body. With glowing red eyes Ryoko glared at the gold wall next to her and raised her arm to point her hand at the wall. In the hand formed a crackling ball of energy that she launched at the wall. As the ball impacted upon the wall it caused a large explosion that sent debris far away. Looking at the van-sized hole in the wall in satisfaction Ryoko said, "There. Now I feel better." She looked over to her mother with a large grin that only got wider as she laid eyes upon Washu. 

The scientist/goddess stood at where she had been building her gateway. All of her clothes were covered with soot and her hair was blown back. When Ryoko blew the hole in the wall a piece of debris flew into the machinery that Washu had been working on and blew it up. Washu slowly turned her head to glare at her daughter.

"Well, we've got a door now," Ryoko said in satisfaction. "I'll go and get the others," and with that she flew up to get her comrades.

*********

Never in her life had Usagi seen combat like the battle she was in now. As she flew through the unending horde Usagi would hurl her tiara to cut through multiple shadows. She dared not to launch any other attacks so she could conserve her energy for the real fight yet to come. Floating above the chaos of the battle Usagi caught her tiara expertly and placed her weapon back on her forehead, as she did this she saw Ryoko flying towards her.

"Usagi! We got a hole in the wall. Get your guys and head to the opening, I've got to get the others," and with that Ryoko streaked off.

Looking down upon the battle Usagi spied the one Senshi that was to follow her into the palace and flew towards her.

For the hundredth time Hotaru cursed the limits of her power. With it she could only do two things in a battle, erect a wall and vaporize large amounts of enemies. Since the second ability was out due to the fact that there were allies all throughout the cloud and she was not accurate enough not to hit them, she was stuck with her Silence Wall. This was what she was doing at the moment, holding her glaive in defiance as hundreds of shadows hurled themselves at the barrier. Behind the determined young woman were several of her comrades who were resting up some from the battle. Not being as powerful or having as much endurance as their more powerful allies lead the Senshi to develop a different battle strategy than their previous battles. Several Senshi would attack the shadows while the others would be in the relative safety of the bubble provided by Hotaru. As she glared defiantly at the creatures that she was holding at bay, Hotaru spotted Usagi flying towards her. Looking back at the people that were within her sphere of protection Hotaru yelled, "Get ready! I'm going to lower the wall. Ready. NOW!" As she lowered the Silence Wall the horde that it was holding at bay began to advance only to be atomized by a maelstrom of ice, fire, lightning, and roses. 

As the bodies of the shadows turned to dust to rejoin the cloud, Usagi landed softly near her friends. She walked to Hotaru, her features seated in a grim mask that none of her friends had ever seen on the normally cheerful girls face. "It's time." Hotaru nodded her head, her face as grim as Usagi's. As the two of them turned to leave Mamoru cried out.

"Usagi!"

When Usagi turned Mamoru could see the twin tracks of tears that made their silent run down her cheeks. Mamoru walked up to his girlfriend and cupped her delicate face in his hands. With his thumbs he wiped away her tears and spoke with a voice heavy with emotion, "When this is over. Will you . . .," he couldn't say anymore as his throat grew tight.

Usagi placed her hands on Mamoru's, "Yes. Yes we will." She pulled his hands away and placed them at his sides, "I have to go now." With that she backed away several steps and then flew backwards, her eyes never parting from Mamoru's until he was too far away to see. As she turned away she whispered, "I love you." 

Hotaru, who had been waiting for Usagi and Mamoru to finish gave her comrades a silent wave and began to jump her way in the direction that Usagi had taken. When she had begun her training, Hotaru was very weak and couldn't handle running any appreciable distance, now though things have changed. Cologne and Ranma discovered that part of the Senshi's magical endowments was increased physical strength and endurance. They taught her how to use this energy more efficiently and soon jumping became her favorite method of getting around in Senshi form. She moved as if she was on a high-powered pogo stick and enjoyed the freedom that it presented her as she headed for what Usagi said was their destiny.

*********

Had any of his numerous rivals seen him at this moment they would have thought twice about attacking Ranma. With the blades that his key provided, coupled with his insane speed and immense strength, Ranma was a whirling dervish of death. Had his enemies been of flesh and blood Ranma would fight in a more reserved manner, but since they were merely apparitions Ranma was able to fight to fight to his full potential. It was the most amazing thing, the exhilarating feeling of not holding back, of totally immersing oneself in the art. 

The only thing that truly held Ranma back was that he had to keep a constant eye on Mihoshi. While she was a skilled police officer and had participated in several battles, she had done nothing like this. The only thing that kept her in the battle for as long as she was the newly designed gun that Washu had built for her. The gun she possessed now looked exactly like the standard GP-issue but each round had three times the power but used the same amount of battery energy, while the battery had five times the energy capacitance. This made the gun a more effective weapon. Add that to the training that she had been given by Ranma and she was a very effective fighter. The only problem was that she had only three energy caps left and by the looks of the creatures that they were fighting she would need a great deal more.

Luckily this problem was saved in the form of Ryoko flying towards them. The cyan-hared ex-demon floated over the area that the newlyweds were fighting and yelled down at them. "Guys, there's a hole in the wall over that way," she said as she pointed in the direction of the hole. "Go that way, I've got to get the others," with that she flew off.

As Ryoko flew off Ranma went to his wife's side, "Ready, my lady," he said with a sweeping bow.

Mihoshi giggled, "Yes, good sir." 

Ranma swept Mihoshi off her feet and began towards the location Ryoko indicated. The whole time he had a smile on his face as he knew that if Mihoshi was still able to joke around then she have a better time fighting than someone that was serious all the time, those were the people who got killed.

*********

If the Senshi were using tactics and the Saotomes were using skill, then the Juraians were pure power. Where others conserved their power, they raged for their fury was unrivaled by any. They were on their home soil to take it back from an invading force and nothing would prevent them from extending their full wrath upon these invaders. Later, there would be those that would ask the question, "How were they able to use so much power for so long?" Well, the answer to this question was simple, trees. All throughout the planet and in sealed docks in the space above Jurai were the powerful trees of Jurai. Like the freedom fighters, they too felt rage at the injustice placed upon Jurai and lent their energy to the cause.

For years Azusa Masaki had felt something lacking in his life. He had three wonderful children; a son that he was proud of, and two beautiful daughters, one of which was graced by their goddess. His wives were strong women that he loved with all his heart. Sure the marriage to Misaki was arranged for him so that the aristocracy would not be in an uproar about an emperor being wed only to an alien, but Azusa loved her as much as he loved Funaho. But despite all of this he felt that something was off. For the hundreds of years that he had been an emperor he had felt this and it was only now that Azusa truly comprehended what it was he felt, confinement. Before he became emperor Azusa went on adventures, which was how he met his beloved Funaho. He had seen the universe and fought many times and now he realized that he missed that. As emperor, Azusa had to sit on the sidelines, never fully participating in battles, for he was the leader of Jurai and couldn't be placed in the kind of danger that adventures would get him into. And so he tortured his children, that he loved dearly, all because he was jealous of their ability to go on adventures. This really pissed him off and only fueled the rage that he now used to fight these creatures.

As Yosho weaved through the chaos of the battlefield with a grace that many martial artists would kill for, little entered his mind, for all of his intellect was focused on the battle. Yosho's concentration had a clog thrown in the works by his father. He had seen the man angry, hell Azusa has stayed that way for as long he has known him, but never like this. Usually, it was the kind of anger one gets when they lose money on a horse or when an old woman drives five miles an hour on a six-lane intrastate. But the anger that he was expressing today was nothing that Yosho had thought his father was capable of and it shocked Yosho to the core. 

So shocked was Yosho that he did not notice the shadow who was coming up behind him ready to strike him down. Luckily, Ryoko had just arrived and saw what was about to happen to him and intervened. Of course Ryoko's ideal of intervention was to vaporize the shadow with as much overkill potential as possible. After returning the wraith to its original form Ryoko yelled down to Yosho, "Yo! Old man! Get your head out of your ass and get your family over to the hole in the wall," she said as she pointed at said hole. Once she was sure that Yosho was out of his stupor and had understood her message, Ryoko teleported to her final destination. 

*********

One of the most important things one learns about battle is that if one does not concentrate fully on the fighting then you are dead. Luckily, Ayeka never practiced that rule. For years she has fought what some would consider to be life or death struggles, and she always had her concentration split. She had done this in her battles with Ryoko and she was doing it now. The thing other than battle that Ayeka had her mind on was her soon-to-be husband, one Tenchi Masaki. She had seen Tenchi practice before, she still blushed in embarrassment at what happened the first time she had watched him, and every time he practiced he had a look of calm concentration. Every time she had seen him in actual combat his visage was angry. But this time was different, instead of calm concentration or anger Tenchi looked like he was what humans called a Zen state. As he sliced apart his opponents his face was a picture of serenity. All in all it made her rather aroused, and had this not been an actual battle but merely practice, she would have already jumped him. As it was, all she was left with was her lust filled thoughts. This led to frustration, which resulted in some very dead Wraiths.

Flying over to where her fiancés were doing battle, Ryoko smiled as Ayeka unleashed a torrent of energy into a group of shadow people. She recognized the look on her love's face for it was the same one she had on many of her battles with the glorious purple-haired princess. Seeing that one of her dual loves were unoccupied for the moment Ryoko decided to be a little playful. Teleporting right behind Ayeka, Ryoko gently wrapped her arms around Ayeka's lithe frame making sure to cares certain sensitive areas as she did so. "Hello, lover," Ryoko purred. 

After blasting a large group of shadows back into nothingness Ayeka panted at the exertion. Sure the trees might be lending their energy to her, but it takes a little while to recharge after such a massive display of power. As she stood there getting her breath back Ayeka felt a pair of arms wrap around her. At first she thought it was a shadow that held her in its grip, but instead of feeling nothing Ayeka could feel Ryoko's warm presence, that added to the places were Ryoko was placing her hands made Ayeka VERY relaxed. When Ryoko purred into her ear it was all Ayeka could do to keep from melting on the spot. In an effort not to something unbecoming one of her station right there Ayeka focused on her anger at the aggressors and forced herself out of Ryoko's tender embrace. "RYOKO! Now is not the time for that kind of thing!" 

Though Ryoko should have been hurt at Ayeka's actions she wasn't, she could smell Ayeka's arousal. Instead she took a pose out of Ayeka's book and looked rather mocking, "Oh, I know that," she replied as if she was talking to an inferior. Ryoko then leaned in and took on a sly look, "I was just seeing if you were on guard."

Before Ayeka could retort Tenchi walked up, he had heard Ayeka's initial outburst and came over to see what was the problem. Seeing that there was nothing to be concerned about Tenchi addressed Ryoko, "Ryoko? What's up?"

Getting back to business Ryoko straightened up and looked to Tenchi, her face a mask of seriousness. "There's a hole in the wall, we've got to get inside."

Ayeka and Tenchi looked at Ryoko grimly and nodded. Then the three of them flew off towards the hole. 

*********

As everyone reached the location of the hole they waited for the others to arrive. After several minutes Ryoko, Tenchi, and Ayeka finally arrived and they could proceed inside. Before they could do that though, Tenchi spoke up, "Hey Usagi, Hotaru. Where's the rest of the Senshi?"

Usagi had been using the time that she had while waiting for every one to reach the hole to get her friends out of her mind. She had just managed to smile once again when Tenchi asked his question. As soon as that happened her face fell faster than a rock into a black hole. "They're going to stay to keep those guys from following us," she replied with a dead voice. 

Hearing the tone in Usagi's voice Hotaru glared at Tenchi. She had seen how Usagi had begun to cheer up and it had made her happy. With Tenchi's question Usagi got depressed again and it really made the Senshi of Saturn angry.

Tenchi was still looking at Hotaru and Usagi when they made their faces. He could understand neither of the looks, but Hotaru's really scared him. Sure, he could open or close black holes, but that takes work. Hotaru has an attack hardwired in her brain that could allow her to destroy a planet. She was definitely not a person whose bad side you wanted to get on. So he looked away and hoped that Hotaru would use her anger to blast the enemy and not him.

Ranma was totally oblivious to the drama that was going on, instead he looked to Washu, the one with all the info. "So Washu, which way do we go?"

Having memorized the palace's schematics from when she scanned it after Ryoko blew a hole in the wall Washu pointed straight into the blackness of the structure. "We go in that direction until we reach a large open area, the Heaven's Gateway. From there it's a straight shot into Tokimi's Royal Hall."

Ranma nodded once as he committed the directions to memory. Looking to Tenchi, Ranma asked, "We ready to go?" Thought Ranma didn't like being subordinate to anyone, he was not going to go in without Tenchi's say so.

Grateful for something to think of other than Hotaru's glare Tenchi eagerly nodded his head. "Yes yes. Let's go. That way," he said as he pointing in the direction that Washu pointed. 

The group, following their fearless leader's order, made their way into the darkness. As they passed through the black expanse they experienced freezing temperatures and nothingness, this quickly gave way to warmth and light. To say that the group was shocked upon seeing the inside of Tokimi's palace would be an understatement. Everyone but Washu expected darkness and evil, what they got was light and awe. Upon the walls were images of such beauty that many in the group got somewhat misty eyed. Those who were not swayed by the image's beauty were taken in by the vivid detail presented by the paintings. It was as if the scenes depicted were not simply images but real places with but only glass separating the world and observers. 

The first person to say anything was Washu, "There were stories, but nothing like this," she said in an awed whisper. She knew that Tokimi's people were artisans, but she would have remembered something like this. Washu couldn't calculate the skill necessary to achieve such works, let alone the amount of time needed to paint them. 

Washu's whisper was the only thing necessary for Ranma's finely honed battle mind to reactivate. Realizing that they were in an enemy facility and their opponent's numbers were unknown the group should not stand in an open hallway admiring the scenery. "Come on everybody! We've still got a fight to fight!"

Everyone roused themselves from their awe and quickly looked around for any enemies, all the while cursing themselves for leaving themselves so open. Of anyone Ryoko, was the most upset, she had seen many beautiful things in her life, most of which she stole as Kagato's slave, but they all paled in comparison to the beauty around her. Looking back at the place where she blew a hole in the palace wall she was glad to see that no damage was done to any of the artwork. With everyone's mind back to the task at hand they headed to Heaven's Gateway and destiny.

*********

Upon stepping into Heaven's Gateway one would find a room that many a thief would call heaven. While it lacked the paintings that adorn the various halls Heaven's Gateway does posses one thing in great abundance, Gold. The entire room is covered in the shiny metal, and not just the standard yellow gold but gold of every color imaginable. 

This was the sight that greeted the small band of heroes. That, and a large ovoid ruby that hung suspended in front of the two large doors. Seeing no one in the room Ranma began to walk to the doors. As he was almost there, he jumped backwards to avoid the blast of energy that came from the ruby. Landing just in front of the others Ranma saw that around the ruby appeared the face of an old man. 

"Intruders," the face roared. "How dare you defile the sanctity of Lady Tokimi's palace with your presence! For this offense you all shall be put to death!" The head then calmed and looked at Washu, "Excepting of course for you, Lady Washu. Lady Tokimi desires to speak with you." Looking back at the others the head addressed them, "As for you others, you shall be dealt with by these loyal subjects of her Lady."

Below the face two shadows coalesced from nothingness. Out of these shadows walked two men. The man on the left wore a tight red shirt tucked into black pants, his skin was pale and his eyes were dead. The other was younger looking, around Ranma's age, he wore a light blue vest with Chinese pants of a matching color. Around his waist was wrapped a length of pantyhose and his feminine face was cast in a nasty superior smirk. 

From the various descriptions given by the royal family and Mihoshi the man on the left was well known. He was Xander, galactically feared serial killer and apparent knight of Tokimi. But the man next to him was known to only one person, Ranma Saotome, "Tarou," said pig-tailed hero.

Mihoshi, who stood side by side to her husband, was frightened. Here was the man who took away her first love, looking every bit as terrifying as when he shot her Kiyone. But before she could sink too far into the grip of terror she heard Ranma utter a familiar name. "Tarou? Wasn't he the guy who almost killed you," she asked in concern.

Without taking his eyes off the arrogant man, Ranma responded to his wife's inquiry, "Yeah. That's him all right." "Hey Tarou! What the hell are you doing here?!" 

"What do I always want Femboy? When Tokimi told me you were still alive, I was furious but she offered to help. She told me that if I join her she would give me enough power to beat you and the old freak. It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch but if it will get me my named changed then, OK."

At the rear of the room, Usagi sweat-dropped, "He joined an evil goddess just to get his name changed," she stage whispered to Hotaru incredulously.

Before Ranma could say anything Azusa charged forward, "Enough of this! Die Xander!" The emperor of Jurai flew forward at the psychopath only to rebound off of a force field and land near a wall. As he righted himself he looked up to see Ryoko's snarling visage.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?! He's got Light Hawk Wings, I doubt you are strong enough to beat that!"

"Oh, and you are," asked a quiet voice.

Ryoko turned and saw that it was Xander that spoke, "You're damn right I am." Three spots appeared on Ryoko's forehead and four red Light Hawk Wings appeared. Said wings made a rotation around her as Ryoko floated off the floor several inches. After one rotation the wings made an X shape on the ground below her, leaving a circle in the middle. The red wings, while maintaining their formation, floated upwards. As the Light Hawk Wings made their way up her body a red line of power marked where Ryoko's normal combat outfit ended and her Light Hawk armor began. While it kept the red and black color scheme of her regular combat suit, Ryoko's Light Hawk armor was far from skin-tight. Where Ryoko's normal suit was designed for battle her new armor would look more at ease at some futuristic ball. The sleeve and legs were poofy but the legs were not joined so as to allow more range of motion in the arms. From the gems on her wrists grew ornate golden bracelets and around her neck formed an intricately detailed golden choker that had her gem in its center. As the Light Hawk Wings finished their transformation of Ryoko's clothes they floated above her head for a moment the flew behind her and while still maintaining their formation one end of each wing flew closer to her back while the other pointed away from her. Her wings in place, Ryoko reached behind her and grabbed one of her wings. Even as the wing was becoming a sword, Ryoko flew forward with a yell.

While the girl in red made her display, Tarou was watching Ranma. He had hoped that Ranma would be detracted by the light show but Ranma just kept his focus on him. Getting fed up with the staring match Taro called upon the power given to him by Tokimi. In answer to his call a dark blue wing appeared before him. Grabbing the wing he flew forward at his pig-tailed nemesis. 

As Tarou flew forward Ranma pushed Mihoshi out of the way and summoned his own Light Hawk sword. Leaping backwards Ranma's armor materialized over his clothing. It was something he didn't like relying on but after seeing the cutting power of one of those swords there was no way he was going to chance it.

In the battle between Ryoko and Xander, the differences in their fighting styles was obvious to even the greatest of pacifists. Where Ryoko fought with a savage intensity that few could match, Xander was cruelly efficient. Ryoko would come in and Xander would dodge or parry her attacks. Every now and then Xander would initiate an attack, but unlike a normal person, Xander only inflicted minor wounds upon Ryoko. Though through the regenerative powers of the Light Hawk power the wounds healed after several seconds, they were done in places where they would cause the most pain at the least amount of energy expended by Xander. As he watched the battle Tenchi could see what the result would be if nothing changed. At the rate Ryoko was going she would run out of energy long before Xander and she would die. Not wanting to see that to happen to his beloved fiancé Tenchi summoned his armor and sword and joined the battle. 

With all those that could use the power of Light hawk Wings now in battle, those "normal" people were left standing with little idea about what to do. Ever the leader, Azusa addressed those around him, "Ok people. While the others are dealing with the big guns what say you to handling that ugly door guard," he said as he pointed at the floating visage of D3. All around him yelled in approval and as one they all charged the elderly head.

The only two that stayed behind were Hotaru and Usagi. Something inside them held the pair at bay, not fear, but the instinctual knowledge that the time was not right for them to strike. But when the time was right they WOULD be ready.

*********

For those fighting the floating face, D3, the battle was not going well. The Juraians, Ayeka, Yosho, Misaki, Funaho, and Azusa, were using every attack in their arsenal. Blades of energy, blasts of power that would level several city blocks, every thing was flung at the intangible form of D3. Soon they realized that the only solid thing about D3 was the jewel in his forehead but this information was not useful to them. All of their energy attacks would bounce off or be absorbed to be used against them via D3's eye beams. Physical attacks proved to be equally useless for the intangible gatekeeper would blast all before they could reach the crimson jewel.

As much trouble as the Juraians were having, Mihoshi was having more. She had no powers so she couldn't dodge D3's energy blasts as easily as the others. Since the only thing in her arsenal was her blaster she could do little damage to her opponent. After dodging a particularly powerful eye-blast Mihoshi cried out in agony as a piece of shrapnel went through her meager armor and sliced her back.

In the fight between Tarou and Ranma neither held the upper hand. One would be on the offensive for a little while and then they would make a small mistake and then was placed on the defensive. But this changed when Ranma heard Mihoshi cry out and felt his wife's pain. 

*********

Tarou was getting pissed. Every thing he tried, every cheap trick and under handed move didn't work on Ranma. He had even tried his monster form, but it just slowed him down, and against an opponent as fast as Ranma a decrease in speed was a bad thing. Then, after who knows how long, the impossible happened. Ranma Saotome lowered his guard. Tarou smiled gleefully at the sight and went in for the kill. His dark blue blade rose, ready to deal the critical blow. Coming down toward Ranma's unsuspecting back, Tarou's Light Hawk sword traveled with a speed that few could hope to match. But before the final blow was struck the blade was stopped by cold black metal. The intense focus that Tarou had was shattered and he took a step backwards. Now he could see what had blocked his swing, an ornate looking glaive, and holding said glaive was a pale slip of a girl whose eyes held a intensity and sense of purpose few possessed. 

"Not today."

*********

As she watched the fight between Ranma and the one he called Tarou, Hotaru knew that, whatever she was going to do in this battle, it would be there. So she waited in anticipation. Every blow inflicted upon Ranma made her wince, while every impact incurred by Tarou made her cheer inside. All the while a feeling of anticipation grew within her. Like a catapult that was slowly lowered into launch position did it build, waiting for the event to launch it into motion. That event came soon enough when Mihoshi cried out in pain. As soon as the sound reached her ears Hotaru was in motion. Not knowing what her body intended, Hotaru gave in and let her instincts rule, for if she didn't she knew that something horrible would happen. Running to do something at a speed she didn't know she possessed, Hotaru was of two minds. One mind was the warrior, Sailor Saturn, who going to do battle. The other one was Hotaru Tomoe, it was she who noticed that Tarou was raising his sword and her panic made Sailor Saturn all that faster. Upon reaching her destination Saturn raised her Silence Glaive in an attempt to block the descending blade. A part of her boggled at the fact of a blade that could supposedly cut through anything was blocked by her glaive, and the other stared coldly at her opponent. "Not today," she sneered.

*********

"Not today."

At hearing those words Ranma was broken out of his stupor and turned around. What he saw shocked him, Hotaru, no Sailor Saturn, stood with her glaive in a defensive position and a face as cold and hard as he had ever seen. Without turning around she addressed him.

"Go to her." 

It was simple, it was concise, it was all that Ranma needed. Ranma flew towards Mihoshi, hopping he was not too late. 

"So who are you, little girl," Tarou sneered.

"Sailor Saturn and your opponent." With that simple statement the battle was joined.

As she stood up Mihoshi had a pain filled grimace on her features. This was not working, she was tiring quickly and she had put in the last energy cap for her blaster some time ago. Before she was completely erect she felt some one's firm yet gentle hands helping her up. Without even looking she could feel that the person helping her was Ranma and gratefully accepted said help. 

After getting Mihoshi off the ground Ranma placed his hand several centimeters above the wound on her back and focused his power. As one of those who bore Tsunami's Light Hawk Wings, Ranma, like Tenchi, had the ability to heal others. Ranma used this talent to help Mihoshi. As he did this Ranma sent all the feelings of love and compassion he could through the link the two of them shared. Once the wound was healed, he removed his hands from her body and asked, "How's it going?"

"How's it going!? I'll show you how's it going." With that she pulled her gun in line with the jewel on the enemies head and with an inarticulate scream of rage she pulled the trigger.

Click.

Mihoshi looked down her arm at the gun she held and pulled the trigger several more times.

Click. Click. Click.

Pulling her gun in line with her face Mihoshi looked down the barrel of her gun. Seeing no obstructions Mihoshi shook the gun several time and then banged the hilt of the gun against the palm of her hand. She then pulled the trigger on more time and received the same results. So with her only weapon spent Mihoshi hurled the gun at D3 with a fear filled, "Waaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!" 

There are times and events where chaos reigns supreme and each sound is louder than the one before that, where a single noise can stop it all. Such was the sound of Mihoshi Saotome's gun as it hit the red jewel with a loud, "CRACK!" At that sound all fighting stopped and all eyes, including those of D3, turned to the jewel. What they saw shocked them, there was a large crack in the surface of the jewel. From the point that Mihoshi's weapon had impacted spread both the large crack and a multitude of smaller ones. With small pinks and tinks, these smaller cracks grew until the entire surface of the jewel was covered with them. Soon another noise was heard in Heaven's Gateway, a low keening noise coming from D3. Very quickly it became the sound of someone in deep agony as both the jewel and D3 were cast into the void, never to be heard from again.

All was silent in the room until Washu, who had been standing to the side recording the battle both for science and prosperity, uttered, "She's a genius!" In the silence of Heaven's Gateway her softly spoke words echoed like a gunshot and spurred all back into battle. 

*********

Coming out of his stupor Tarou immediately went on the offensive. Slashing like a madman he hoped to catch his opponent off-guard. Unfortunately, for him anyways, Saturn was just as fast as he and was able to block him. While she could defend herself from the blow, she was still knocked back.

Watching his opponent stagger backwards and fall to one knee Tarou smiled evilly. To the horror of those watching the fight Tarou walked menacingly towards Hotaru's prone form. As he reached her Tarou raised his sword over Hotaru's head.

Since Taro had his back to the crowd it looked liked he jerked as he was looming over Hotaru. But the truth was that as he had been savoring his victory Hotaru slammed the Silence Glaive into his chest. Saturn stood up and put her face close to Tarou's. "Silence. Glaive. Surprise." With that a beam of power erupted from his back and the parts that hadn't been vaporized exploded away from Hotaru to land at various points in the room.

Those who watched were shocked at what Hotaru had done, but no-one was more shocked than Usagi. She had kept an eye on Hotaru's battle and what little she saw damn near scared her. Hotaru was displaying a coldness not seen since the Pharaoh 90 incident. Instead on thinking of what she saw any further Usagi, turned her attention back to the battle between the champions of the three goddesses. What she saw there terrified her. When she made her announcement of her intentions of fighting without her fellow Senshi, Usagi went to Rei and asked her to describe, in detail, the fight she saw between Ryoko, Tenchi, and Xander. A comparison between what she had been told and what she was seeing did not bolster any thoughts of confidence in her. While Ryoko was making less mistakes and the addition of Tenchi made Xander fight, it appears as if being a psychopath was a definite plus when engaging one in combat. Xander by no means had the upper hand, but he wasn't loosing either. Knowing that something must be done, and it was she that would be the one doing it, Usagi pulled out her weapon as granted to her by the transformation into Eternal Sailor Moon and began her dance of death. "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss," with that her most powerful Senshi attack flew at Xander. The main problem with most of her attacks is that while they are powerful they don't work as well on things that are not possessed. This added to the fact that Xander had the armor of someone with five Light Hawk Wings made for little damage inflicted upon his person. What Usagi's attacks did do is distract Xander long enough to allow Ryoko and Tenchi to swoop in and kill him. 

With all of their opponents dead, the weary victors gathered to congratulate one another on a job well done. But before they could generate too much fanfare, Washu walked up, her face stern. "Remember, we've still got Tokimi to contend with." Her statement put a damper on everyone's good mood and acted as a trigger for the doors. 

Opening slowly, the doors impressed upon all the feeling of entering a holy sanctuary. As they walked into Tokimi's inner sanctum there was a feeling excited weariness. For while they knew that they were nearing the end of their journey, they were also entering the lion's den. As the last person crossed the door's boundaries they slammed shut, locking all within.

Tokimi's sanctum sanctorum lacked the one thing most people would think of a evil ruler having, a throne. What it did have was a large platform and a goddess hanging on the wall. Wait a minute, GODDESS HANGING ON THE WALL!

"TSUNAMI," yelled those that recognized the woman. But before they could get to her, all with Light Hawk powers and oddly enough Usagi and Hotaru felt something. Only one person knew what it was. 

"Tokimi," said Washu.

As Washu spoke the room's high ceiling gave way to a beautiful star field. Around the edge of the field were huge versions of the same wraith-like beings that they had fought outside. At the center of the star field appeared a large woman. Though few in the room knew what the woman looked like, they all knew that this was Tokimi, and not because Washu just said so. But the thing that worried everyone the most was the fact that she looked calm and rational.

"Oh look! Visitors. We do get so few of you here." She then looked to Washu. "And my dear sister Washu, look what you have brought me, Serenity's heir and the princess of Saturn. How nice of you." Looking at said individuals she said, "But there is one problem. You killed my knights. Now you must be taught a lesson." Tokimi extended an arm at each of the two girls that she addressed. From her hands lanced beams of pure Light Hawk power. 

Tokimi's aim was true and both beams struck the girls dead center in the chest. When the energy struck her chest Usagi exploded in a pillar of pure white energy. At the same time Usagi was struck in the chest a beam hit Hotaru in the same place. As she fell back dark flames trailed off her body and before she could hit the ground her whole body was consumed.

*********

Hotaru awoke to the unpleasant sensation of lying on cold marble. Then the memory of what had just happened hit her and she bolted up. "I can remember Tokimi's words, her shooting at me and Usagi, feeling the blast hit me then . . . nothing," she thought to herself. Soon she began to hear moaning and tortured screams. Looking around she saw that she was in a hall that was made entirely out of black marble. Adorning the walls were torches, their burning glow was low, and they were attached to the wall via gothic sconces that were made of some kind of black metal. As she continued her investigation the sounds that had begun so softly were gaining in intensity. The source of these cries appeared to be the only opening in the room. As Hotaru neared the opening she was blasted by waves of intense heat, a stark contrast to the chilly interior. Upon reaching the opening Hotaru came out onto a balcony and what she saw there was something right out of the bible. Overhead where thick black clouds that seemed to press down upon her. These clouds were being fueled by the large volcano in the distance. Said volcano was very active as reddish-orange lava ran down its sides like water only to form, large lakes of lava that never cooled. Now that she was outside Hotaru could tell that she was in a castle that resided on the opposite side of the valley from the volcano. All along the castle roamed various creatures, the ones who looked like goblins wore armor and carried weapons as they patrolled the walls.

Then Hotaru felt a presence behind her. Turning around she could see nothing, but that did little to alleviate the fear she was feeling. For you see, despite the fact that Hotaru still wore the form of Sailor Saturn, she was without her weapon, the Silence Glaive. But she went back into the castle anyways because that same part of her that told her when to intervene on Ranma's behalf was now telling her that everything was going to be all right. As she walked into the castle she received the blessed relief of its cool air and she noticed something odd. Every time she passed a pair of torches they would change from orange flames to black. Then multiple torches lit up against a wall several feet in front of her. Their dark flames illuminated a large throne, and Hotaru could see that someone was lounging in it. With every step she took Hotaru was able to make out more of the throne's sole occupant. Standing but a foot away from the person Hotaru could see that it was a man who was dressed in all black. He wore large black boots, over these was a pair of black dress pants, tucked into his pants was a black dress shirt that. Around his neck was a silver necklace that had a gold ring on it. Over his shoulders and arms the man wore a long black coat that went all the way down to the floor. He had medium length black hair and a black goatee, both of which were well groomed. The only thing Hotaru could not tell about the man was his eye color, for they were closed at the moment. After standing there for several minutes Hotaru decided to break the oppressive silence, but before she could utter a word the man's eyes opened and pinned her with an intense green-eyed stare. 

"Hello Hotaru. Welcome to Hell."

*********

Authors Notes: And with that I end this chapter, aren't I evil.

But seriously folks here is chapter eight of LHW, and I deeply apologize for its lateness. Since some of you have probably not visited my site, I feel it necessary to explain the lack of story updates for the past few months. First of all I have been on summer vacation away from college and have been in little mood to much of anything. Secondly, I do not know if any of you have heard or seen the anime entitled Dai-Guard, but I was bitten by the fandom bug and I had to have a model of the mecha the show was named after. After a long search process I found that there were no models of this wonderful piece of fictional machinery, so I set out to build my own. Now I don't know how many of you are into modeling, but this task was made difficult due the fact that I have to design every part before I can build it. This has taken up a good portion of my unused time and left little time for my story. If you would like to see my work so far head over to . But I did work on it some and here it is. Good news, since I am going back to college this September, chapters should be coming out much faster.

Some notes about the last paragraph. If any of you noticed the similarities between hell and Tolkien's Mordor then good job. About the man in the chair, I said his eyes were green, but I think I should clarify it more, think Sephiroth's eyes. Also, while I didn't say his name I think you all know who the guy in the chair is. If you don't, hit yourself in the head with the most convenient blunt object. As for the reason why poor Hotaru has been sent to Hell. Well you'll just have to wait until the next chapter.

Now, on to the complaints, I know that some of you will be upset with the way I have created Mihoshi's parents. You're probably thinking, "Why not use the mom that was in GXP?" There were two reasons for this: one was that as far as OAV's 1&2 Mihoshi's parents are not stated, and reason two is that from what I have heard about the GXP mom that character just does not fit with my personal beliefs about OAV Mihoshi and her family. Since it is seven o'clock in the morning, I can't think of any other complaints but if there are any more please CALMLY send me a message containing your grievance and I shall endeavor to answer it.

So until next time,

Chaos Lord

King of the Wicker People


	10. Chapter 9 Everthing that has a Begining ...

The Light Hawk War  
  
By: Chaos Lord  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to their respective owners. The concepts dealing with the Time Gates the Ultimate Good and Evil and the Forbidden belong to PacMan.  
  
********  
  
Chapter 9  
  
********  
  
It was quiet in the Saotome home. As she sat and drank tea with one of her new houseguests, Nodoka Saotome worried about the fate of her son and his wife. Three days, they had only been gone for three days, but, for a mother whose son was off to fight in a war that he might not come back from, they felt like an eternity.  
  
Nodoka's worry was so evident that it was plain even to her guest. "Don't worry Auntie, he'll be back."  
  
Nodoka looked up at her guest, "Thank you." Realizing that she was being a poor hostess Nodoka tried to lighten the atmosphere. "So, Akane, how are you?"  
  
Of all those manipulated by Tokimi Akane had fared the worst. For a person who builds their entire identity upon their accomplishments, like Akane, the realization that all of said accomplishments are nothing compared to that of others is devastating indeed.  
  
********* Two Months Ago  
  
"You're sorry? You haven't seen sorry yet you bastard. You have fun with your little floozy while she lasts Ranma. Because one day she'll be gone and you will _beg_ me to take your sorry ass back."  
  
As she ran from her home a part of Akane Tendo could not believe she had just uttered those words. But that disbelief was buried under so much pain and rage that it went unnoticed by her. With each passing second Akane placed more distance between herself and her home. Where she was going she did not know but one thing was for certain, she did not want to be at the dojo. With each foot that pounded upon the asphalt Akane could feel all her pain and all her rage throb like an open wound.  
  
For a time, pain and rage was all that the distraught young woman felt. Then a new sensation entered in her consciousness, cold. Through tear-filled eyes Akane could see that she was now on her knees before the grave of her mother. This caused the tears to fall even more, "Oh Mommy," she sobbed. "I don't know what to do any more. She sat there for who knows how long, sobbing her heart out as she reviewed her life. As more and more images of her life appeared before her, Akane came to the conclusion that every thing she had told herself was a lie. Was she a great martial artist, no. Could she cook great meals for those that she loves, no. "I can't even keep the man I love."  
  
Before she could sink any further into despair Akane heard a very familiar sound coming from beside her, crying. Looking to her left, Akane saw a girl in a similar pose as her. The girl was wearing a pretty sundress that looked like it was well worn. As tears made their way down the girl's cheeks Akane's heart went out to the poor soul. "Why are you crying," she asked the girl.  
  
At hearing Akane's voice the girl jumped in surprise. Quickly whipping hr tears away the girl put on a proud front for the older lady. "My Mommy died." The girl's brave front only lasted several seconds and then the tears began to fall once more.  
  
Seeing the girl' tears, Akane pulled the child into a tight hug. It was her hope that it would help ease her pain. Akane just held the child in her strong arms as she continued crying, her own pain being placed on the back burner for the child in her arms.  
  
Finally the girl pulled away from Akane, "Why were you crying? Did your Mommy die," the little girl asked in concern.  
  
"Yes she did. A long time ago," Akane said sadly.  
  
"Does it still hurt?"  
  
"A little. It will always hurt some but as time goes by it'll become easier to deal with and you won't feel as bad anymore."  
  
"Really," the girl asked, the disbelief at the statement was clear in her voice.  
  
"Yes, really," Akane with a smile. She turned to look at her mother's grave. "I'll always miss her, but at least it doesn't hurt as bad." Wanting to change the subject she asked, "So what is your name?"  
  
"Akane."  
  
Akane turned to look at the girl in shock but her shock was only increased by the girl's absence. Looking around the cemetery, all Akane could find of her young companion was the crumpled grass where the girl had been sitting.  
  
*********  
  
Since then, Akane had felt better about herself. Not ready to face the bad memories created over the last year in the Tendo home, Akane went to someone she had hoped would not turn her away, Auntie Saotome. She had approached the home of her ex-fiancé very timidly, the words she had uttered fresh in her mind. But the reception she had received was not what she had expected. Instead of anger or malice, the kindly Saotome matriarch greeted her with open arms. So Akane trained, whether it was martial arts or so-called "feminine jobs", Akane put her all into everything she did. While she was not progressing anywhere near as fast as Ranma would have, she was progressing. Why just this morning she managed to make edible biscuits. Before she could ponder on her life any further her thoughts were interrupted by the soul-wrenching scream of the Saotome's other houseguest.  
  
At hearing the scream both Akane and Nodoka rushed upstairs. Upon reaching the room where the Saotome's houseguest resided Akane kicked the door in. What they saw had them worried. Ever since Setsuna attacked Ranma, everyone agreed that she needed help. The problem with putting Setsuna in some sort of mental care facility was that they could not guarantee that Setsuna wouldn't spill the beans about the Senshi. Having her live at any of the Senshi's houses was a no go for the same reason, so Nodoka stepped forward and offered a solution. Setsuna would live with her and Genma, who WOULD be returning to his home, and her friends would take turns helping out. It was Nodoka's belief that since Nerima was pretty immune to weirdness, a woman running around proclaiming to have knowledge of the Sailor Senshi's identity would not even receive a second glance. This belief was backed up by the other Nerima guard.  
  
Setsuna was curled up and she was rocking back and forth. As she did so Akane and Nodoka could see that she was muttering something. Very carefully Nodoka crept forward, her concern for the woman before her at odds with her worry that Setsuna might lash out at her. While she had made no violent moves since her attack on Ranma, there was no telling what she would do. Upon reaching Setsuna Nodoka could make out what the obviously distraught woman was saying.  
  
"She's dead. She's dead. She's dead. She's dead. She's dead."  
  
Gently placing her hand on Setsuna's shoulder Nodoka kneeled down beside Setsuna. "Setsuna, who's dead?" She had a good idea about who she meant, but she held out hope that she was wrong. Because if she wasn't it meant horrible consequences.  
  
Since she came to live at the Saotome home, Setsuna has said little. In fact, the two that caused her to speak the most were Usagi and Yosho. The reason why both were able to receive any response was that they were unrelenting in their pursuit. Setsuna slowly turned her head up to look at her hostess so that she could look the woman dead in the eyes. "Usagi."  
  
*********  
  
They might be plentiful and they might be unstoppable, but the one thing that the Wraiths were not was gravity defying. They had about the same physical prowess as a normal person. This worked greatly in the Sailor Senshi's favor. After Hotaru left to do battle in Tokimi's palace, their original plan was useless. Sailor Mercury noticed the Wraith's shortcomings and devised a new strategy. It was much like the old one except instead of a group hiding behind Hotaru's Silence Wall, they rest on the top of a building at the edge of the battle zone. This plan was even more vital since all the big guns were inside the palace and the Senshi had to keep their strength up for the long haul.  
  
For one Makoto Kino, also known as Sailor Jupiter, the battle she was fighting in was one of the easiest in her long career. As she defeated more and more opponents, a strange euphoria entered her being. In her battles against the forces of darkness Makoto has been thrown into countless dense objects. Yet here she was, in their longest battle to date, and she had yet to be even tossed, let alone thrown. After destroying a particularly large group of Wraiths, Makoto took a quick breather. As her hands were on her legs she could feel an odd sensation course through her body. To her it felt like there were millions of the most disgusting bugs and other creepy crawlies all over her body. Standing up, Makoto hoped against hope that this sensation did not mean what she thought. When the large beam of black energy exploded from the top of Tokimi's palace that hope died a quick death.  
  
"What the hell was that," asked a shocked Shiro Yamada. When the Juraian Royal Family went into the palace to do battle, Azusa ordered the guards to stay back. Since they could not go in and protect their charges the guards went to help their Senshi allies. Their help was welcomed among the Sailor Senshi, especially by those among the Senshi who were in love with members of the Royal Guard.  
  
"The Silence Glaive Surprise," Makoto answered grimly. Both of them knew what it meant for Hotaru to use such a dangerous attack; things weren't looking well for their friends inside.  
  
"Are you sure?" Shiro hoped she was wrong and it was just someone's random attack. The Juraian Royal Guard never witnessed Saturn's attacks since they were just too powerful. But they were told everything they needed to know about them, mainly if she starts whipping those bad boys out a good retreat may be in order.  
  
"Yeah, I am. I can feel it," and feel it she did. Unlike the other Senshi, Sailor Saturn didn't have an element at her beck and call. What Saturn had was more abstract than the elements but no less potent, she had Death and Rebirth. Normally she used her powers that were an extension of the Rebirth portion, her healing and the Silence Wall. But her actual attacks used the Death aspects, and for the life aligned Sailor Senshi this Death was an ill magic indeed. "It's no wonder people feared her back then," she thought. "That felt awful." Before she could think on it any further a group of Wraiths attacked once more.  
  
Makoto and Shiro battled the Wraiths side by side for several minutes. Despite the length that Makoto was fighting she was that tired. The training she and the others had received from Ranma had helped greatly, allowing them to tap into resources they had not known was there. Then she faltered.  
  
At the same time as Makoto fell to the ground, a beam of the purest white streaked heaven word from inside of Tokimi's palace. Makoto was lucky that Shiro was there, for as soon as the beam of light shone from the palace, the Wraiths surged on their position.  
  
As he fought the Wraiths, Shiro looked back to the woman he had grown to love. "Makoto, what's wrong?! You've got to fight!"  
  
When the shaft of light appeared Makoto knew one thing, Usagi was dead. Though Usagi had ordered them to stay back, Makoto couldn't help but feel as if she had failed her friend and sovereign. Through the haze of grief generated by Usagi's death, Makoto heard Shiro's voice cry out to her. Opening her eyes, Makoto saw that the man she loved was in trouble. At that moment, all of Makoto's grief and feelings of uselessness was transmuted into a singular emotion, RAGE.  
  
After dodging one of the Wraiths, Shiro began to feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Looking towards Makoto he saw something out of legend. All across her body writhed electricity. Her eyes were no longer visible, in their place was pure power with little sparks of electricity coming out of them. Above her formed a large black cloud that continued to grow in size, all the while it lit up as lightning coursed through it.  
  
In her life, Makoto had known anger, and was very familiar with the emotion. It has been her companion in many a battle and in general it had served her well. Today though, her anger soared to heights that she could never even conceive. This anger had an unusual effect upon her powers. Makoto was able to control both electricity and plants. Normally the two were not very helpful to one another but on the planet Jurai, where trees are alive, they were very cooperative. Whenever Makoto uses her lightning powers a small cloud appears overhead to generate extra energy for the Senshi of Jupiter. On Jurai, the Space Trees are an integral part to the planet's weather control processes, and when they heard Makoto's subconscious cry for power, they were more than willing to generate a VERY large lightning cloud, just for her.  
  
Shiro stood several feet away from Makoto and watched the whole scene in shocked awe. In their training both the Senshi and the Guards witnessed the power of the others attacks. What Shiro just saw Makoto do was something that he had thought her incapable of. She just never seemed able to channel that much energy at one time. Before he could question what his eyes had just shown him Makoto slumped down to the ground. Rushing to her aid Shiro could hear her sobbing uncontrollably, and instead of trying to find out what was wrong with her while the Wraiths were still out there and could attack, Shiro picked up Makoto and headed for the nearest rooftop. Once there, Shiro tried to sit Makoto down but she would hear nothing of that and remained latched to his person. Sitting himself and his delicate cargo on the rooftop, Shiro said, "Makoto, what's wrong?"  
  
"Usagi . . . its Usagi . . . sob. Oh God, she's dead!" After that, what little control she had been able to muster to speak failed her, and she continued crying.  
  
*********  
  
Usagi Tsukino was known for many things. She once ate her body weight in Ice Cream. She's the best friend anyone could have. But despite all the things she was known for, there was one that she wasn't, waking up. Unless there was a major emergency that called for her immediate attention Usagi would take a while to wake up. The reason for this, she liked sleeping. To her, sleep was the ultimate form of escape. When asleep all of her worries went away, so she got bad grades, so she was spacey and had a hard time understanding much of what Ami said. In the blissful lassitude of sleep none of that mattered.  
  
This is the reason that she was groaning at the moment. It seems as if someone had the gall to wake Usagi up in the most heinous manner imaginable, sunlight. When a person uses sound to wake up another, it is about 50% effective. But when sunlight is used it is nearly 100% effective. Only when someone has a blanket that has not been taken away does this not work. Unfortunately for Usagi, she had no blanket and was struck dead on by the warm rays. As she lay on the soft bed, Usagi tossed and turned, vainly trying to escape the horrible fate of consciousness. With a groan of disgust, Usagi allowed consciousness to win this battle, but vowed that she would prevail when next they met.  
  
Opening her eyes, Usagi quickly came to the conclusion that she was not in her room. The realization removed any trace of sleepiness from her thoughts and the keen tactical mind of Sailor Moon came on full force. She was standing in the middle of an open area in the middle of a thick forest. Covering the ground was pine needles of a thickness that the ground was soft and springy. On one side of the clearing there was a large path that headed deeper into the forest. Seeing that she was in no immediate danger, Usagi relaxed her guard a little. "Where am I."  
  
From the forest came a deep and ancient voice, "So. You are finally awake. I was beginning to think you were going to take root."  
  
Usagi spun around but was not able to find the source of the voice. "Wh . . wh . . who's there," she asked fearfully.  
  
"There is no cause for alarm, young sapling. No harm shall befall you in this place." From the darkness of the forest emerged what could only be described as a walking tree. At about 25 feet tall, there was no doubt that the creature was tall, but his narrow stature only emphasized his height.  
  
Had it been any other time in her life Usagi would have completely freaked out. Screams and frantic running would have been par for the course. Today though, something was different. Instead of fear, Usagi was filled with an intense sense of peace. Inside her broach, the Silver Crystal was pulsing warmly in time with her heart. In its own way, the Crystal told her that the creature before her meant her no harm and the words that it had spoken where true. "What are you," she asked with a voice filled with child-like curiosity.  
  
"I. Am a tree herder. It is the job of we to safeguard these woods and others like them all throughout the galaxy," the pride he felt at this statement was evident in his voice.  
  
"Wow," Usagi said in awe. "Where are we?" If she was alive then she needed to know where she was so she could return to her friends.  
  
"You are in my forest in the kingdom of Heaven."  
  
"Heaven?!" Usagi looked down at her fuku but saw no signs of any damage. It was at that moment that the memories of what had transpired at Tokimi's palace flashed through her mind. "I'm dead?"  
  
"That remains to be seen young one. Come with me, I shall escort you to our lord. He shall have all the answers you seek."  
  
"Before we go, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"My name, little sapling, is Fangorn, and I am to be your escort for your journey."  
  
"Well, hello Fangorn, I'm Sailor Moon. It's good to meet you," Usagi said with a smile. She couldn't help it, he just seemed so gentle and old, like a grandfather.  
  
Fangorn gently picked Usagi up and placed her on his 'shoulder'. "You and your exploits are well known to us Usagi Tsukino." Once Usagi was secure in her place Fangorn turned and began to walk down the path in the woods.  
  
To say Usagi was shocked would have been an understatement, "You know who I really am?"  
  
"Indeed, little one. Our lord has a vested interest in you and yours. Since many who live in Heaven hail from your Earth, we have our own form of news. As our lord has an interest in you so do I. Though I know not why He is so keen on you, he is."  
  
Usagi didn't ask anything more, as she was trying to process the information she had received. What her thinking worked out was that A, she was dead but didn't feel like it, B she was in Heaven but it didn't look like Heaven, and C where was Hotaru? Before Usagi could ponder this final point any further the darkness of the forest gave way to intense sunlight. Shielding her eyes from the glare. As her eyes adjusted to the light Usagi gasped in amazement. What lay before her was a mix of every fairy tale kingdom imaginable. Some areas looked like something right out of Arabian Nights, while others looked to be inspired by medieval legends, and even her own Japanese legends and fables were represented here. In the exact center of this sprawling metropolis was a castle that was a dead ringer for the Cinderella's Castle, except much bigger.  
  
"Behold, young one, I give you the grand city of Elysium," announced Fangorn, proudly. Reaching up he gently took hold of Usagi and placed her on the ground.  
  
When her feet once again touched solid ground Usagi was still in awe at the city before her. After several seconds of just standing there Usagi began to feel a presence in front of her. Taking her eyes off a particularly beautiful ziggurat, Usagi looked to the throng of people going about their daily business. For a while Usagi saw nothing that told her what the presence, but then the crowd began to part. Out of the parted crowd walked a man with short blonde hair and a gentle face. For clothes he wore a white polo shirt tucked into a pair of black dress pants. Over his shirt was a denim jacket that ended at the man's waist. The man's hands rested comfortably in the pockets of the jacket. He walked with a confident stride and, unlike the others around him, his brown shoes kicked up no dust.  
  
The man continued walking towards Usagi, and all the while he greeted all those around him, as if he knew every single person around him. Continuing his steady pace, the man did not stop until he was right in front of Usagi. It was at this moment that Usagi noticed that Fangorn was kneeling.  
  
"Fangorn, haven't I told you that is not necessary," the man's warm voice asked with a tired sigh.  
  
"Hmm. It would be improper to do otherwise milord," Fangorn said respectively. "Now if it would please you my lord, I would go and tend my trees."  
  
"Of course my friend. I have kept you long enough as it is. I would like to thank you for keeping Miss Tsukino occupied for me." The unnamed man then turned his head to look Usagi dead in the eye. "She didn't give you much trouble did she," he asked humorously.  
  
"Hm hm hm," chuckled Fangorn. "No my lord, that she did not," he replied with a warm smile in Usagi's direction. "I bid you both a good day." With that he turned and lumbered back into the forest.  
  
"Ah Fangorn. Never I have I met a more stubborn tree," the man mused to himself as he watched Fangorn disappear into the forest. Turning back to Usagi he said, "Now, we haven't been properly introduced yet, have we? You of course, are one Usagi Tsukino, a resident of Tokyo's Juban District, who in her spare time likes to be Sailor Moon, champion of Justice. I, am God."  
  
"No you're not," Usagi replied with utter clarity.  
  
"Oh? What did you expect? Long flowing robes and a beard."  
  
"Well, yeah."  
  
"Not another one! Ever since that Ten Commandments movie came out every one thinks I look like Charleton Heston. I'm really starting to hate that guy." In an instant he was on his knees looking heavenward, "Damn you Charleton Heston. Damn you to hell." In the next instant God was back on his feet, not at all looking like he had just been in his knees cursing a famous actor's existence. "You see, my name is God, it has been ever since I came into existence. I built this place so that all on your world and a select group of other worlds could have a place to go upon death."  
  
"Um, I'm sorry to interrupt. A friend of mine died at the same time that I did, but she wasn't there when I woke up. Can you tell me where she is?"  
  
"If you are referring to young Miss Tomoe then I have some bad news for you. You see, she has been sent to Hell."  
  
*********  
  
"WHAT?!! What did I do that sent me to Hell," Hotaru asked morosely.  
  
"What makes you think you did something wrong, Hotaru?" His soft and gentle voice was not like one would expect coming from a denizen of Hell.  
  
"Isn't that why people are sent to Hell. They do something really bad and get sent to Hell where they meet Satan himself to be tortured for all eternity." By the time she finished tears were streaming down Hotaru's cheeks. Just last week she had begun her studies on Christianity at school, and the one thing that it made very clear was that Hell was NOT the place one wanted to find themselves at their time of judgment.  
  
The man placed his hands on Hotaru's shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes. "The first thing you must do Hotaru is throw out all you learned from the religions about Hell. Hell is not a place of eternal torment. In fact, most of it is like your Earth, full of happy people living out their lives just as they would before they died," he said with a soothing voice in an effort to stop the girl's tears.  
  
"But what about there," Hotaru asked as she pointed to the balcony and its hellish scene.  
  
"That is the Hell of mythology. That, and others like it, are where all the truly evil people go upon death. People like Hitler, Jack the Ripper, and the person who plays Barney go there so that they may receive the punishment that they richly deserve. For the most part though Hell is full of people just like you. Good people who are innocent and pure."  
  
"Then why are they here, Mr. Satan?"  
  
"First of all, don't call me Mr. Satan. That guy is an idiot. No, you may call me Lucifer. Next, the answer to your question is a long and difficult one. And I owe it to you to tell it in full." Sitting back in his chair Lucifer gave a tired sigh. With a wave of his hand the darkness of the hall gave way to soft light. Upon the bare stone walls appeared beautiful tapestries each depicting part of a much larger story.  
  
Hotaru gave a yelp of surprise as something ran across the back of her legs. Turning around quickly Hotaru saw that where there was nothing but hard floor there was now a beautiful chair with cushions of the finest silk. Sitting in the chair Hotaru gave a relaxed filled, "Ahhhh," as she luxuriated in the chair's comfort.  
  
"Would you like anything before I start?"  
  
"No I'm fine, thank you."  
  
"Okay, now lets see. You know that Tsunami, Tokimi, and Washu are from another universe, correct," Lucifer asked Hotaru, already knowing the answer.  
  
"Yes," she answered with a nod of her head.  
  
"Good. Now the first thing you need to know is that upon its conception every universe comes with a kind of instruction manual. This "manual" tells the intense energies that are created during the initial universal explosion what to do with themselves. When their universe was created it did not come with a manual. Instead, the energies manifested a kind of consciousness. It was that consciousness that slowly figured everything out. Each time it realized a need for a control, like a constant for gravity or light, it would create a power to do so, thus came about the Gods and Goddesses.  
  
*********  
  
"You mean like Washu and the others," Usagi asked in curiosity. After explaining to her that Hell was not a bad place to go, just different, God offered to take her on a tour of his kingdom. As they made their way among the crowds of Elysium, God wove the tale of what was REALLY going on.  
  
"Yes, exactly like them. You know how each of them has a title, which is what they represented in our home. Now where was I? Ah yes, now I remember. For millennia these beings of great power lived out their existence in harmony with one another, for they knew that each was just a small part of a much greater whole. Though they had each other they knew they needed something more. Some of my brethren found planets with sentient life that they nurtured, while others created life in their image and their ideals. The last remnants of these peoples are the Juraians."  
  
*********  
  
"Of the primary deities needed by our home, Tokimi, Tsunami, and Washu were the last three to be created. Upon their creation, there was much fuss made by the lesser deities. You see each God and Goddess had a certain power, and a fixed amount of what you know as Light Hawk Wings. What was special about the three sisters was that they came into being at the same moment and each had ten Light Hawk Wings. Never before had there been anyone that powerful, for the longest time the scale had been from three to nine. Out of all of the others there was only one with nine. Since the sisters had the greatest power they were made de facto leaders."  
  
*********  
  
As he was guiding Usagi through Elysium God made a critical mistake; he stooped in front of an ice cream vendor. In an eye blink Usagi was ordering the largest ice cream cone God had ever seen. As Usagi walked away gleefully, God felt his wallet cry out in agony because it knew it would be paying for Usagi. Buying a small vanilla cone for himself and paying for Usagi, God followed the happy girl so he could continue his story. "Ready to listen some more," he asked in bewilderment as she was eating her ice cream so fast it didn't have time to melt.  
  
"Mhh hnn," Usagi mumbled, as her mouth was currently full of sugary goodness. To make sure her guide got the right message she also nodded her head vigorously. If there was one thing Usagi liked more than ice cream it was a good story, and the one God was telling was very good.  
  
"Riiiiight. Well, as I was saying, my people lived with Tokimi, Tsunami, and Washu as their leaders for quite a long time. Then one day, the universal consciousness that brought all the Gods and Goddesses into being found a need for two final creations. One of light. The other of darkness. Appearing at the same instant, they were brothers and loved each other as thus. The brother of light was I, and the brother of darkness was Lucifer. Now I don't want you to confuse darkness with being evil, my brother is just as good as I, there always must be darkness where there is light. Remember, the universe abhors a lack of balance, the greater a good you create it will create an equally strong evil. That is why the Moon Kingdom fell.  
  
Upon our creation the others were there to meet my brother. They were shocked at our power, and since we each had twenty Light Hawk Wings, we were, with much reluctance on our part, made leaders of the universe. Unlike the others, we had no desire for followers, so we went out among the people to do good and ease suffering. For fifty years our job was a simple one, then problems began to occur. They crept upon us slowly, forming a pattern that no-one was willing or able to recognize, someone was preparing for war."  
  
*********  
  
"Now that was not a concept that was well known in our universe," said Lucifer. "Whenever tensions between planets began to increase to a point where war may become a possibility, one of the Gods or Goddesses stepped in to solve the problem. Some cultures were more militaristic than others, but none ever waged war upon another. Each one of us knew one simple truth, everything in the universe has a place. Then, one hundred years to the day after God and I appeared, warfare was upon us all."  
  
*********  
  
"They were on us in an instant. An army of creatures that existed naturally, but perverted almost beyond recognition. They struck first at Tokimi's people, and while they put up a gallant fight her's were the first of many to pass into the void. Once Tokimi's people were out of the way, the army set their sights on the lesser deities and their followers. We were horrified at the carnage created by this army, but what scared many of us even more was that our fellow Gods and Goddesses were dying as well. Finally, Lucifer and I went out to try to stop it ourselves. We barely made it back in one piece," God said in a fear-tinged voice.  
  
"Why," Usagi asked fearfully. She knew that if there was something that scared a man that could wield twenty Light Hawk Wings she would have no hope against it.  
  
"After making our way through an army of misshapen figures, we reached the mastermind behind the whole ordeal, Melkor. All across his body he wore white armor that had deep channels dug into it. Through these channels flowed red energy like the slow beating of a heart. On his head he wore an ornate helmet whose top looked much like the Egyptian god Anubis. Instead of jewels in the jackal head there were red lights that grew brighter each time the channels sent energy to them. What truly disturbed us was the fact that the face plate had no eye holes just two large white ovals where eyes should be."  
  
*********  
  
"The bastard just floated there above the killing field. As we approached him a set of armored wings flew in and floated at his back. We asked him his name and why he was perpetuating a war against those who are innocent? He told us his name was Melkor and that he and his army were just the natural forces of entropy. God and I knew that he was full of it then, he didn't feel like anything the universe had ever produced. So we attacked him, bringing our full power to bear. Power great enough to punch a hole in the fabric of the universe was thrown at him, and it did no damage. He then threw an attack at us that was comprised of an energy that I hadn't seen before or since."  
  
*********  
  
"Luckily, Lucifer and I managed to survive, though if it had been anyone else they would have died, and we bid a hasty retreat. As soon as we reached the others we told them of what Melkor said and his power. It was then that Lucifer proposed something rather drastic, evacuation."  
  
"What do you mean by evacuation," Usagi asked.  
  
"He suggested we take every one that we could and leave our universe, forever. In our first fifty years of existence, my brother and I had experimented with the full breath of our powers. One of the things we fiddled with was manipulation of the fabric of universes. In doing this we found other universes, and more precisely we found this universe. Since any prolonged absence on our part might have caused an uproar, we never left, but we remembered where it was for future reference."  
  
*********  
  
"When I said that, hoo boy. You should have seen everyone's reaction to the very idea of leaving their homes. Finally it got to the point that Tsunami, TSUNAMI, miss I'm the nicest person in the universe, orders God to look into the future."  
  
"How," Hotaru asked inquisitively. Ever since she first met Sailor Pluto time has been a great fascination to her. Time travel, predestined paradoxes, temporal causality loops, they all fascinated her to no end.  
  
"In our home universe, the fabric of space-time was much more malleable than it is here. Anyone with enough power can warp gravity sufficiently to see what is coming down the road. My brother and I are different though. Along with our Light Hawk Wings, I was given the ability to hear the future, while my brother can see the future."  
  
*********  
  
"So you can see the future with out gravity," asked Usagi.  
  
"Yes. Think of it as focusing differently," God replied. "You know those pictures on your world that require you to change the way you look at it to see the real image, well that is what I do. But all I see is images, when Lucifer uses his ability he can hear what I am seeing.  
  
So, I did as Tsunami requested, and what I saw still disturbs me to this day. I saw the death of our entire universe. I guess I looked so spooked that I didn't have to say a single thing, the others just left to get what ever they could bring.  
  
Unfortunately, Melkor somehow got wind of our evacuation scheme and sent his entire army against us. Lucifer and I were unable to defend the others, since we had to keep the portal to this universe open. The one that had the most followers still alive at the time was Tsunami, so she was chosen to lead her people through our portal. It was believed by all that since hers was the most powerful and plentiful of the remaining peoples, they would fare the best in their new home. Since their sister was going, Tokimi and Washu followed for protection, bringing with them what little was left from their now dead peoples.  
  
The others led Melkor and his army away from the portal, but they never made it back. We waited as long as we could but then we felt it. We felt what I saw happen, our universe began to die. In the short time Lucifer and I had left, we did what Tokimi, Washu, and Tsunami had done, we saved a part of our universe. But unlike the others, we actually managed to save our universe's very consciousness. After our rescue I was the first through the portal, as I was the one with the consciousness, though upon reflection I wish Lucifer had gone first," he said gravely.  
  
"Why," asked Usagi.  
  
"You know how I said that Lucifer can hear the future? Well sometimes, when what happens in the future is loud enough, it breaks through his mental blocks. One time this happened was right before Lucifer stepped through the portal, and what broke through was the Noize."  
  
*********  
  
"What's the Noize," asked Hotaru. Although she was wondering whether or not she really wanted an answer, given the pale and dreadful expression on Lucifer's face.  
  
"When my brother saw the future, he only saw the universe's destruction. The Noize is the sound that a universe makes as it dies. Everything at one moment cries out in pure terror and pain. Past, present, future, all collapse, and you don't realize that the awful sound in the Noize is your own voice screaming back at you," Lucifer finished gravely.  
  
"That's horrible, "Hotaru exclaimed. "How do you deal with something like that?"  
  
*********  
  
"He didn't. Not for a long time at least. The Noize drove him slightly insane."  
  
"How insane," asked Usagi grimly. She needed to know if there was another high-powered potential threat out there.  
  
"Nothing dangerous, but he was definitely different than he was before. Some days he would be the calm brother that I love. Others he would go on long rants, where he announced what we all knew, that we had not seen the last of Melkor. Finally he decided to go against a direct edict that we both laid down, no direct intervention. The only one of the surviving deities that was exempt from this was Tsunami in so as it pertained to her people."  
  
*********  
  
"But I went too far and I freely admit it. But looking back, I don't regret my decision," Lucifer stated with resolution.  
  
"How did you go too far?"  
  
"You know of the fight Tokimi, Washu, and Tsunami got into right?"  
  
"You mean the one that we were fighting in," asked Hotaru.  
  
"Right. Well, at the same time they were having their little squabble, I created one between God and I. Like Tsunami and Washu, we believed that the mortals of this universe might hold the key to an inevitable battle against Melkor. Where my brother and I differed though, was in how we should utilize said mortals. God believed that we should mainly leave them to their own devices, and only give gentle pushes when it was ABSOULTLY necessary. I believed, and I still do, that we should take a more proactive approach when dealing with them."  
  
*********  
  
"How do you mean proactive," asked Usagi.  
  
"He felt that we should give advice, enter into contracts for power or wealth and other things that mortals could use to aid them. After a while, it seemed obvious to me that nothing would stop Lucifer I relented and suggested a test of our own."  
  
"What kind of test?"  
  
"Well, we choose a single planet with intelligent life, and that would be the only planet we would interfere with. This met Lucifer's needs and minimized our impact upon others. I told him to pick the world that we would test, and at random he chose Earth."  
  
*********  
  
"Our final act was to make this micro universe that we reside in. We used the consciousness of our original universe as a control mechanism for our new one. We then split up to create our own realms. The one I created was Hell, a place were all who share my ideals could go upon reaching death. While my brother created Heaven, the galaxy of pacifists.  
  
After getting our realms set up, we began to watch your world develop. But we did not just sit idly by. In two separate investigations, my brother and I searched for a new power, one that might allow us to defeat Melkor."  
  
*********  
  
"After many years of searching, I found what I had been looking for. The power I sought came in the form of two sisters. Each was the physical manifestation of a certain type of energy. One represented the ultimate light in the universe; this sister was very nice and accommodating to guests. The other represented the ultimate darkness in the universe, unlike her sister she only tolerated my presence and she had about her a slightly skewed sense of humor."  
  
*********  
  
"It turns out that these sisters had been aware of us ever since we first entered their portion of the omniverse."  
  
*********  
  
"What's an omniverse," asked Usagi.  
  
"If you think of an entire universe as a gum ball, then the omniverse is the gum ball machine that holds them all."  
  
"Ohh," replied Usagi.  
  
*********  
  
"They had been waiting to see if we were worthy enough to meet them, and apparently we were. My brother and each gravitated to the sister that was the most like us, and I went with the dark sister. We talked a while until she told me that the reason I was talking to her was that I had been found worthy to use the power of darkness. The only thing that limited the amount of power I could have was the Light Hawk Wings that I bore. But still, the small amount of power that I gained was astronomical. Have you ever tasted pure power, Hotaru," Lucifer asked as he leaned in close to said girl.  
  
"No, I haven't, but my Senshi transformation sure is a rush," Hotaru replies with a grin. For a girl as weak as Hotaru, the power boost of the Senshi transformation was a heady feeling indeed.  
  
"Well, take that feeling and multiply it a million fold. I swear, for a while there God and I were as high as kites. It was during this time that God looked in on Earth."  
  
*********  
  
"What I saw was amazing, where before humans were only on Earth, now they were all over their solar system. There was a group on Earth's moon that was using magic, and powerful magic at that. Though those on the moon were very powerful and very good, they didn't have the oomph that my altered mindset thought they should have, so I made a talisman for them. It was made of the purest white gemstone that I had ever created, and then I infused it with as much properly aligned good as I could. I then made myself known to them and entrusted my gift to the purest of the white magic users on the moon.  
  
*********  
  
"Do you know what happened next," asked Lucifer with a big smile.  
  
Hotaru shook her head, "No."  
  
"Thinking that the woman who got the talisman was their God's chosen one, the people made her queen. Queen!" At that Lucifer just burst out in wild laughter. After several minutes of laughter, Lucifer eventually got himself under control enough to see the look of shocked disbelief on Hotaru's face. "What," he asked as he searched himself for anything on his person out of the norm.  
  
"Are you telling me that the Silver Crystal, the Senshi's most powerful weapon, was created by God while he was high," Hotaru asked incredulously.  
  
"Yeah. Ain't it great," Lucifer said with a big grin and a chuckle.  
  
"So what did you do about it?"  
  
"Nothing, absolutely nothing. Why, you may ask, well since he broke his rule about non-interference, I got to do the same. Having enough sense not to create something like the crystal while I was not running on all cylinders, I waited. And let me tell you something Hotaru, I am a very patient man.  
  
For a hundred years did I wait until fate presented to me the perfect opportunity. That opportunity came in the form of the newly created Senshi of Saturn, the very first Sailor Saturn. When whoever came up with Saturn's powers was thinking up ideas, they must have been out of their gourd. Every Senshi's powers are grounded in a certain element, or the manipulation thereof, even Pluto who is the mistress of sound follows this basic precept. The only Senshi who doesn't follow this pattern is you. Do you know what the peaceful life-loving people of the time gave to Sailor Saturn, the power of death and life. Can you believe it? Some of the most powerful abstracts and they just created a solider to wield them."  
  
*********  
  
"What do you mean by calling them abstracts," asked Usagi after walking around an old woman whose arms were full of groceries.  
  
"Death and life, like time, are concepts that cannot be detected with any of the five senses. Oh sure, there are those who are more aware of certain abstracts, like your friend Setsuna, but you wouldn't know of its existence if there weren't things like aging. It is only through their effects upon us and others can we prove that they exist."  
  
*********  
  
"Along with the Senshi of Saturn, the architects of the Senshi also created a weapon to use. It was a beautifully crafted weapon with but one purpose, wiping out all life on a planet."  
  
"You mean the Silence Glaive, don't you?"  
  
"Precisely. Originally the Glaive's most powerful attack was one that would just destroy all life, even microbes, on any world that it was pointed at. That wasn't good enough for me."  
  
"Not good enough! What more did you want it to do," Hotaru asked incredulously.  
  
*********  
  
"Provide balance. You see Usagi, everything in the universe must be balanced, otherwise very bad things can happen. When I created the Silver Crystal, I created a tremendous force for good, and that tipped the balance in good's favor. Lucifer knew that and decided to use the Silence Glaive as a catalyst to bring light and darkness back into balance."  
  
"How?" All this about balancing good and evil was making Usagi's head spin. For all her life, Usagi was taught to believe that evil was something bad to have in the world. Ever since she became Sailor Moon, Usagi had that same idea rammed home by both Luna and the circumstances of her adventures.  
  
*********  
  
"Do you know what my brother created when he made what you call the Silver Crystal? He made a magnifying lens designed specifically to gather and focus the ultimate good in the universe. The only limits placed upon the crystal's power are how much energy the user can handle and said user's imagination. Unfortunately, the people that he gave the crystal to are not that creative, meaning that they are really no fun. So I decided to steal the Silence Glaive."  
  
"You stole one of the most powerful weapons in the Senshi's arsenal because the Serenitys were boring," Hotaru deadpanned.  
  
"Yeah I did, and what I did to it after I stole it is why it is so deadly now. I made the Silence Glaive into the Silver Crystal's sister. It became a focusing lens for the ultimate darkness in the universe. Like the crystal, it has the same limitations, with one additional limit; only two people in the entire universe can wield it. You and me. And only you can use the Silence Glaive's full potential."  
  
"Why would you do that. And how can I be one of the two people to use the Glaive if I wasn't alive when the first Saturn came to be?"  
  
*********  
  
"When I created your crystal I was not thinking straight and I ended up creating an insanely powerful weapon that had no control on who could wield it," God admitted in an ashamed voice.  
  
"But I thought only the Serenitys could use the Silver Crystal," Usagi whispered as she clutched her broach and searched those around her for any signs of a potential thief.  
  
"After I gave them the Crystal, those that I gave it to put a spell on it to ensure that only they and their descendants could use it. Unfortunately, that spell is not like the one on the Silence Glaive and any being with sufficient power and knowledge can undo the spell, which would mean that Crystal is theirs to do with as they pleased. The only group that you fought that did not meet that characteristic was Alan and Ann," God said grimly.  
  
Usagi stood in shocked silence as the crowd around her went about their daily lives. Inside, she went over all the close calls that she had had with her enemies and the Crystal. In an instant, all those close call became a million times closer than she would like.  
  
*********  
  
"After making the Silence Glaive the weapon that it is today, I gave it back to the people of your solar system. When I returned the Glaive I went in the form of my brother, so that the superstitious people of the time would except it. I also made sure to say exactly the same thing that he had said when he gave them the Silver Crystal, so that he would look foolish to those who thought outside of the box."  
  
"Why would you want to do that to your brother," Hotaru asked in confusion?  
  
"It's part of the code that all brothers live by," Lucifer sad in a solemn dignified voice, "I could do nothing less. Besides," he said in a conspiratory tone, "it was really fun." Lucifer's tone and visage then grew very somber, "Unfortunately, like my brother before me, my tampering had consequences that I had not foreseen. Before I had stolen the Glaive, the Senshi of Saturn was always looked upon with some dread by the life- loving peoples of your solar system. But after, you were treated with outright hostility by many and you became very reclusive, which only added to the people's lack of trust in you. And for that you have my deepest apologies." Lucifer then reached out and took Hotaru's hand in his own, "You must understand that none of that was my intention, and I have often cursed myself a fool for bringing so much pain into your life."  
  
Hotaru placed her other hand over Lucifer's, "I know. You were just trying to right a wrong made by your brother. So there is nothing to forgive, right," she said with a sunny smile.  
  
"Uh . . right," Lucifer uttered as he sat back in an effort to regain his composure. "Where was I again?"  
  
*********  
  
"Your brother had given the Silence Glaive back," Usagi said as she helped God back up. "Who knew that God could trip," she thought.  
  
"Right. Well, for a long time peace was the way in your system, as the Serenitys created their Moon Kingdom. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. While my brother and I can terra form a planet with great ease, that your ancestors managed to create stable habitats on each one of your planets with only their limited knowledge is, to this day, astounding. But unfortunately, the people of the Moon Kingdom rejected their darker natures entirely and gave rise to a much greater evil than what resides in the heart of man."  
  
"Metalia," Usagi said in a whisper. Of all her opponents, Metalia and her servants were the ones who left the greatest fear and malice in Usagi's heart. It was because of them that something truly great was whipped from the pages of history.  
  
"Precisely. Though guile and subterfuge, Metalia was able to gain allies among those not happy with Serenity's reign. Their leader was the head of a noble house from Earth, and with an army of youma and corrupted humans they laid waste to the peaceful kingdom."  
  
"Why didn't you stop them? You have to power to stop a million Metalias, so why didn't you do it," Usagi asked angrily. If she had the power to do so she would have rid the universe of that distasteful creature.  
  
*********  
  
"Though the fabric of time is less malleable here than in our home universe, my brother and I can still see a good ways into the future. The future I witnessed was not a wholesome one. Within one or two generations, laws would be passed limiting people's beliefs and actions. After a short time, all that makes humans so chaotic would have been stripped bear. It would have only been a matter of time before all of humanity would have been extinguished. All my brother could do was to open our doors to those who wished to remain. So upon their deaths billions flooded into Heaven and Hell, where they were made welcome by their fore bearers.  
  
But the downfall of the Moon Kingdom heralded the finding of a power unlike any seen in the universe. God and I became aware of this power by way of the Sisters that gave us our power over good and evil. They showed us the energy signature of this power and gave us a warning to avoid angering those who wield that power."  
  
*********  
  
"A great many years passed before anyone used the power, until one day a man named Nergal learned how to harness it."  
  
"What's so good about this power," asked Usagi. She had a hunch that her companion was talking about the Forbidden but she did not want to voice that belief until she was sure.  
  
"Well for starters, there has never been an energy that could slice through every barrier, both that of energy and solid matter, that was placed in its path. But even more unique about it is the fact that unlike every other form of energy that is available to Humankind, it is completely internal. With magic, you have to channel a type of power through you, be it good, evil, or elemental. This means that the level of power that a person can support is not dependent on the energy source but the amount of energy that they can channel. With the power you call the Forbidden, the power is already there in each and every human, all they have to do is find it."  
  
********  
  
"Isn't Ki the same way," Hotaru asked.  
  
"In that it originates from a person, yes. But to use Ki you must be in excellent physical condition and in tune with yourself. A child in a wheelchair could access the Forbidden with the proper knowledge. Also, there is one glaring difference between Ki and the Forbidden, only Humans can use the Forbidden."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't know, but that was what was told to me by the sisters. But the Forbidden is part of the reason you're here.  
  
When the Silver Millennium was destroyed both Heaven and Hell were thrown into chaos. It wasn't until many years later that everything was reaching some semblance of normalcy and God and I could take stock of everything. What we saw on Pluto shocked my brother and I deeply. Apparently, among the confusion of the Moon Kingdom's fall, Tokimi was able to get a foothold into your friend Setsuna.  
  
Through her, Tokimi was able gain access to the Time Gate. With the Gate Tokimi found out that all of you would be reincarnated, and that as you were coming to power both Tsunami's and Washu's knights would be on Earth. She knew that if those two groups came together they would be a threat to her. Upon further investigation, Tokimi found that only one person would bring them into contact, Ranma Saotome."  
  
*********  
  
"Ranma? Why Ranma," Usagi asked in confusion.  
  
"When you look at the flow of time, everyone's past is clearly visible. Who their parents are, why they got together, these questions are easily answerable all the way back to the beginning of time. In Ranma's case though, it seems as if he appeared out of no-where. Oh sure, you can trace his past now, but when you look at it, its unthinkable that someone like Ranma was ever created. It is almost like some other agency created Ranma for some purpose."  
  
*********  
  
"Well, when Tokimi saw what Ranma would do she used her servant D3 to take control of as many people in Ranma's life as possible."  
  
"D3," asked Hotaru.  
  
"Oh, he was that large head that Mihoshi killed with her gun," Lucifer said with a smile. That was not something he had foreseen, but it was a pleasant surprise none the less. "Through D3, Tokimi was able to amplify all of people's more negative aspects in relation to Ranma. It was her hope that one of these people would do what we prevented her doing, kill Ranma. To help Genma with his task, Tokimi made many subliminal suggestions to him, hoping Genma's enhanced stupidity would get the boy killed. Unfortunately for her Ranma, survived everything thrown at him and only got stronger. Then Tsunami did something that I never thought she would do, she broke the rules of their test by giving Ranma Light Hawk Wings."  
  
*********  
  
"But what really pushed Tokimi over the edge was when she found out that through her attempts at killing Ranma, she only supplied him with the energy that she had so feared, the Forbidden. I think that the only thing that kept her from killing Tsunami was the fact that she didn't know it was Tsunami that helped Ranma gain full control of the Neko-ken." As they were walking through the most peaceful park the Usagi had ever seen, God stopped at the edge of a beautiful crystal-clear lake. "It's such a shame," God said sadly, as he looked out over the lake's placid waters.  
  
For a moment Usagi considered asking what God was referring to, but instead she decided to let him speak in his own time. Instead she just stood next to the man, and like many such times before, she was humbled by the sight of nature's subtle perfection.  
  
"Before He came to us, Tokimi was such a gentle person. She was so full of love for others that she was a joy to be around. To see her the way she is now . . . Sometimes I think the greatest tragedy inflicted by Melkor was what happened to her."  
  
*********  
  
As Lucifer sat in silence, Hotaru began to feel uncomfortable with the oppressive atmosphere that suddenly appeared in the room. Deciding to break her host out of the funk he had placed himself in, she asked, "So, why was I sent here?"  
  
For several moments it seemed as if Lucifer had not heard Hotaru's soft-spoken question, and then he once more looked at Hotaru's sitting form. "A safe-guard that I placed into the redesigned Silence Glaive. Should you ever be struck down by Light Hawk power you will be sent instantly to a place of my choosing."  
  
"So when Tokimi blasted me," Hotaru prompted.  
  
"You ended up here. That is correct." Lucifer the looked off into the distance. He stayed like that for several seconds and then stood abruptly.  
  
At Lucifer's quick motion Hotaru bolted out of her chair and stood in a ready stance with the Silence Glaive. Though she saw no one else in he room, Hotaru remained on guard. Casting an eye to Lucifer, Hotaru tersely asked, "What?"  
  
"It is time for you to go back. Your friends still have need for you," Lucifer evenly replied.  
  
"Go back? But hasn't the battle been over for a while?" By her reasoning, Hotaru had been in Hell for at least an hour and a half, although she had no idea how long she had been there prior to waking up.  
  
"In this micro universe that my brother and I conjured up, time is almost as malleable as it was in our old universe. That means I can slow down time in this room while everything else runs at normal speed. That being said, I must send you back," with that Lucifer raised his arm and pointed his palm at Hotaru.  
  
Before Lucifer could do anything, Hotaru felt a need to ask him something grip her heart. "Wait!"  
  
Lucifer lowered his arm a little, "Yes," he asked, his voice tinged with confusion.  
  
For a moment Hotaru's will floundered, but whatever had her would not release its grip that easily. "Can I come back sometime," she asked. Though a large part of her wondered why she would be interested in returning to Hell.  
  
Lucifer's eyes took on a look of happiness, "You are welcome whenever you want to return. Now that you know of this place, just withdraw the Silence Glaive and think about me. It will do the rest."  
  
A small smile graced Hotaru's face, "Thank you."  
  
"You are more than welcome my dear," with that, Lucifer once more pointed his palm at Hotaru. From his upturned hand lanced a beam of pure dark power. Even after Hotaru disappeared, Lucifer stood motionless as he gazed at the spot she had vacated with unblinking eyes. As he lowered his arm, Lucifer whispered, "Until next time."  
  
Before Lucifer could make a move he felt a presence that he had not felt for many a year. In the middle of the long hall appeared a pinpoint of white light. In but a moment the light exploded into a luminous white portal. Out of this portal stepped his brother. God had a light smile on his face as he said, "Hello Lucifer."  
  
"You," responded gruffly. He then turned and walked back to his throne. After sitting back down in his throne, Lucifer addressed his still smiling brother, "Why have you come here?"  
  
God walked over to where his brother was sitting and conjured up a decidedly comfortable looking recliner. As he plopped himself and extended the chair's leg, God cheerfully replied, "So that we can watch the final act of this little drama."  
  
Lucifer looked at his brother incredulously, "What makes you."  
  
Before Lucifer could say any more God produced a bag of popcorn and held it in his direction. "Popcorn?"  
  
For several seconds Lucifer's eyes darted between his brother and the bag of popped corny goodness. With a growl of defeat Lucifer ripped the bag from his brother's hand and ate some of the contents inside. Then, any pretense of gruffness disappeared as he moaned in delight at the perfect taste of what was in his mouth. After downing that, Lucifer asked, "Hey, do you have any," before he could finish God was handing him a bottle of Coke.  
  
So, with Cokes in hand and bags of popcorn in their laps, God and Lucifer sat back and watched the final battle of a silent war that had begun over twenty thousand years ago.  
  
*********  
  
Looking at the space that once was occupied by Usagi and Hotaru, Ranma was filled with shock and rage. His entire body shook with this all consuming rage. Rage directed at a singular individual, Tokimi. "Why," he whispered.  
  
"Why," Tokimi asked in mock confusion. "What ever do you mean by why," she asked, her voice full of fake innocence.  
  
"Enough of these games Tokimi! Answer his question, why did you kill those two. They played no part in this test of ours," Washu demanded of her sister. Of those in the hall, seeing Tokimi the way she was now affected Washu the most. It pained her greatly to see how far her sister had fallen, and it hurt even more to know that reason was no longer an option.  
  
"Don't be naive sister. Has living with these mortals for the past twenty thousand years dulled that keen mind of yours," Tokimi asked condescendingly. "Of course they had to die. First that little Saturn bitch kills Tarou. Not one of my favorite followers, but a you take what you can get. Since little Hotaru killed Tarou, her life became forfeit. As for Serenity's brat, well, she interfered in our test directly. Her blast, weak as it was, distracted Xander long enough for yours and Tsunami's knights to kill him. So SHE involved herself in our test. And anyway, their deaths hurt Ranma, which is all that better," she finished with a malicious grin.  
  
"What did I ever do to you," Ranma asked.  
  
"In the beginning, the only reason for your death was so that the Tsunami's people and Serenity's people would never meet and form an alliance. But soon, it became a crusade. I tried everything that I could conceive of to deal with you. BUT YOU WOULDN'T JUST DIE! And so, because of your inability to be a good little boy and die, those whom you care for the most shall be made to suffer." With that she shot out two blasts of power, one at Tenchi and his family, the other at Mihoshi.  
  
As the twin beams streaked to both his new family and his beloved wife, Ranma stood frozen in horror. When the beams hit, the information coming from his eyes was spilt, and Ranma saw the results as if looking at a split screen T.V. Tenchi and company were reasonably all right, only the quick reflexes of Tenchi and Ryoko allowed those in the beam's direct path to be protected. Those who were not behind them were assaulted by rubble from the floor and the beam's leakage, but luckily all appeared to be okay. The scene that stopped the mighty warrior's heart cold was the beam that went to Mihoshi. Though Tokimi's aim was off and the beam only struck the floor right in front of Mihoshi, the power of the explosion lifted the blonde-haired woman off her feet. As she arced through the air towards the Hall's far wall, Ranma felt as if time had slowed, and the whole scene looked like some sick slow motion movie.  
  
And the small breeze that began to pick up went unnoticed by all.  
  
For Mihoshi Saotome, her pain was two fold. First, there was the pain of the flesh as she was bombarded with searing razor-sharp debris. Then, there was the pain of the spirit, for as she flew she could feel her husband's pain, and that only amplified the agony she felt at the knowledge that she would once again be separated from the one she loved. Only this time, it would be she who entered death's cold embrace. As her head impacted against the metal wall, her last thought was a sorrowful, "Oh Ranma." And then, there was nothing but blackness.  
  
If you had asked Ranma Saotome, "When did you ever experience the greatest emotional pain," two weeks ago he would have answered Jusendo. On that day, as he held the old and dead body of his former fiancé Akane Tendo, Ranma felt a sorrow that was unbearable. Now though, he reached out through the bond he and Mihoshi had formed not three days ago and found, nothing. At that, Ranma Saotome, best martial artist on Earth and killer of a god, was truly defeated. As he stood rooted in place, Ranma was nothing but a void. For the first time in his life, Ranma welcomed death with open arms. But a part of him would hear nothing of that, for he had one further task left to him, revenge. His whole body was then filled with the need to make the one before him pay for her transgression against his family. Ranma looked up at his next victim and roared, "TOKIMI!"  
  
Said goddess smiled maliciously down at Ranma, "And now you know, little man. That pain you feel is the pain of total loss. A pain I am all too familiar with. Tell me something Ranma, how does it feel. How does it feel to know that all of your near misses and triumphs over adversity have resulted in this? How does feel to know that this is all your fault," she asked with a whisper. Tokimi then pulled herself up to her full height, "And now I shall do what others failed to do for me. I shall bring an end to your torment, forever." With that Tokimi pointed her left arm at Ranma and fired a blast powerful enough to split a planet asunder.  
  
When the beam of death struck its target everyone was blinded by the blast of light. As Tenchi and crew tried to adjust their eyes, all they could hear was the psychotic laughter of Tokimi. Once they could see again, despair filled their ranks. All that was left of Ranma Saotome was a deep crater and a thick cloud of debris.  
  
Then they felt it. A power of amazing intensity and startling familiarity. It even caused Tokimi to stop her laughter as all eyes turned to cloud of debris. The cloud, which should have begun to dissipate, was blown to the center of the crater by a strong wind that formed in the enclosed hall. Once all of the cloud was condensed into a ball roughly the size of a human, it exploded outwards as it was carried by hurricane force winds.  
  
Like the others, Ryoko was blown back by the intense winds, but because of her enhanced constitution she was able to regain her bearings quicker. Climbing out of the pile of bodies, Ryoko cast her eyes towards the source of the blast wave. "Look," she shouted as she pointed at the crater.  
  
All eyes turned to look at what Ryoko saw and gasps of surprise were abound. At the exact center of the circular crater and level to the ground floated a changed Ranma Saotome. In place of the Light Hawk armor that he had been previously wearing he was now adorned in his regular clothes, though they were colored the same as the armor. With his head back and his eyes closed Ranma tried to gain some measure of control over the vast energies suddenly at his disposal. Finally, he lowered his head and opened his eyes to pierce Tokimi with a glowing golden stare.  
  
As this was happening, those who were watching the proceedings were treated to two more unexpected sights. To the right of the crater erupted a pillar of black fire that screamed darkness to all who could feel its power. At the same moment, a pinprick of light exploded into a set of slowly spinning symbols. In the same instant, the black pillar flared up and from the symbols blasted down a beam of pure white light. When the darkness and light receded, they left in their wake the kneeling forms of Hotaru and Usagi. With grace and poise, both girls rose in unison and faced their opponent with weapons drawn.  
  
Meanwhile, all this went unnoticed by Ranma, who was trying to keep his energies under control, Tokimi saw it all. She had felt the power that caused Usagi and Hotaru's return and cursed the brothers for their interference. Never one to let some old anger to go waste, Tokimi yelled at her seemingly unkillable foes, "WHY WON'T YOU DIE!!" With that she once again shot a huge wave of power.  
  
THAT Ranma did noticed, and he reacted with instincts that he didn't know he possessed. Before the beam could reach the three warriors it impacted against a spherical barrier of Forbidden. Ranma began to walk towards his opponent, all the while he was stepping on nothing but air, "No Tokimi, you're wrong. I'm not the reason all this happened, you are. You let your grief eat you up, and because of that, billions have paid the price. So, I will grant you your wish," with that he pulled his right arm back and formed four golden blades of Forbidden filled with the blue of Ranma's Light Hawk power. Blades formed Ranma flung his hand forward and launched the blades at their victim.  
  
Seeing the blades of death hurtle towards her, Tokimi utilized all ten of her Light Hawk Wings and created a barrier that nothing could penetrate. Nothing except the blades, that is.  
  
When the Forbidden struck the Light Hawk shield it caused a unique reaction. Instead of just slicing through the Forbidden caused the Light Hawk shield to implode violently and both the Light Hawk energy from the shield and from inside the blades struck the goddess with tremendous force. But Tokimi was not called a goddess for nothing, and the attack didn't kill her. Before she could issue any sort of response, Ranma yelled, "Tenchi, now!"  
  
Though they were shocked by what they had seen, when Ranma yelled Tenchi and Ryoko poured all their power into their swords and flew through the hole that Ranma's attack had created. Their aim was true and the couple plunged their swords deep into Tokimi's chest. Tokimi made no noise as their attacks made their way home. All the defeated woman did was look Ranma in the eye, and with a tear traveling down her cheek, she whispered, "Thank you." And for the first time in twenty thousand years, Tokimi was at peace.  
  
Ranma did not even wait until Tokimi had completely vanished into the ether to rush to his wife's side. What he found made him burst into tears. As he gathered his wife into his arms, he found not the blood-matted head that he expected, only the soft breathing of the most important person in his life. He pulled Mihoshi even closer to him and enveloped her in a tender embrace as he opened his mind to her's and found the sweet dreams that he had seen many times over the past three days. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Ranma looked up to see the smiling face of Tenchi, "She's alive Tenchi," Ranma whispered with joy.  
  
"I know Ranma, I know," though how she survived was a mystery to Tenchi. He had seen her flight and subsequent impact, and was positive she should be dead. He had even used his heightened senses and they had told him that she was dead, yet here she was, quietly sleeping in her husband's arms. "Let's go home."  
  
Ranma looked back down at his wife's serene face, "Yeah. Home," and with that Ranma gave into the blessed grasp of unconsciousness.  
  
********* Author's Notes: Well, there you have it, another chapter done. I know that many of you are asking, "Why is there so little action," well this story was never about the action but the people. I also wanted this chapter to answer some questions people may be having, like who the brothers are, well now you know. The reason God and Lucifer could interfere with the fight was that, effectively, Usagi and Hotaru are their knights.  
  
Now some of you might think that I have fallen into the trap of creating a God-like Ranma. Well I didn't. The Forbidden as Ranma wields it is not very powerful when compared to the power of Ultimate Good, Ultimate Darkness, or to a lesser extent, Light Hawk Power. Those let the users destroy planets and rip open holes in the space time continuum. The main bonus of the Forbidden is that there are only a hand full of things in the Omniverse that are immune to it. With the Forbidden you can null pretty much any type of power, as Ranma uses it. Right now Ranma is as strong as he will ever be it will just take years for him to properly understand how to fully utilize its energies. Also, each person who can wield the Forbidden has a certain affinity for one of the four primal elements. Ranma's just happens to be Wind, thus his ability to walk on air.  
  
Now there are several things I need to point out. One is about the Noize, several months ago I wrote Strike Fiss and gained his permission to use it for my story. If you would like to read more about the Noize I suggest reading both Sailor Moon AR and Seven Knights. Both are excellent stories and I highly recommend them. Another point is about Usagi's reappearance in Tokimi's chamber. That was a direct rip of Sephiroth's entrance in Kingdom Hearts. Check it out it is awesome.  
  
If there are any more comments or concerns you may contact me through the normal channels and I will attempt to answer you in a timely manner. Thanks to all you who have held out this long I hope you have enjoyed the ride.  
  
Chaos Lord King of the Wicker People 


	11. Epilogue Life Goes on as it Never Ends

The Light Hawk War  
  
By: Chaos Lord  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to their respective owners. The concepts dealing with the Time Gates the Ultimate Good and Evil and the Forbidden belong to PacMan.  
  
********  
  
Epilogue  
  
********  
  
It was pure chaos in the Masaki-Saotome home, and like three months ago this chaos had but one purpose, a wedding. After Tokimi's death at the hands of Ranma, Tenchi, and Ryoko everyone just wanted to go home. Everyone, that is, but Azusa and his entourage. Azusa decided to stay and help his people recover from their most trying ordeal. Though he was willing to let the heroes of Jurai use the Throne to return to their home and celebrate.  
  
Unfortunately for Tenchi, as soon as he got home Ryoko and Ayeka decided to collect on his promise to them for a wedding. For Ryoko, the type of wedding ceremony mattered little, all she wanted was the feeling. The feeling of being married. So Ayeka made the choice and she picked Juraian. This wedding would not be the last time that the trio would appear as the wedees. Like Mihoshi and Ranma, they got wrangled into several different marriages. Since they were allies of Ranma's Amazon tribe, Cologne decided that they needed to have a proper Amazon ceremony. This worried Tenchi greatly, for although Ranma's and Mihoshi's Amazon wedding was simple and elegant, there was a clause in Amazon law that discussed the possibility of having more than one wife. If such a thing happened all the prospective wives had to fight to see which one would become the First Wife, a prospect that worried Tenchi to no end. But right now he was rushing through his home loaded down with luggage as he got ready to go to Jurai and get married to the women he loved.  
  
Only adding to the chaos were the Masaki and Saotome's allies the Sailor Senshi. Only this time the young defenders of love and justice did not come alone, they brought their families. After fighting in a war for Jurai's liberation the Senshi felt changed, and the secret that they had kept from those they love for so long seemed meaningless. So, as they hurled themselves into their parents loving arms, each Senshi told their story to their loved ones. Though there was shock on the part of several parents, acceptance came quickly enough. Later, when Tenchi invited the Senshi to his wedding on Jurai, their parents insisted on coming along. Both to ensure their children's safety, and to see a VERY foreign land.  
  
As the chaos of the wedding preparations went on around him, Ranma stood immobile and unfettered. For Ranma the last three months had been the usual for him, chaotic. Soon after arriving back to Earth, Cologne conned him into an Amazon wedding (for image sake). Then, on one of his trips back to Nerima, Ryouga showed up and the two of them had one final showdown, no superpowers or Ki attacks just skill. Though Ryouga eventually lost, there were no hard feelings and their friendship was reformed. The oddest story from the Nerima sector comes from Mousse. Apparently all his time in the hospital had cured him of his Shampoo craze, but hooked him on a young American nurse named Sandra. Though he has only regained about 45% of his former strength and dexterity in his arms, Mousse has vowed that as a Hidden-Weapons Master he will pass on his skills to any in the tribe willing to learn.  
  
Currently, Ranma stood with his bags packed as he waited for Mihoshi to come back from the bathroom. And though he shouldn't be, he was nervous about the proceedings on Jurai. Apparently, along with the wedding between Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka, Azusa has planned for Mihoshi and Ranma's Juraian wedding as well. Seeing as they'll all be hailed as heroes and the ceremonies will be broadcast throughout the empire, Ranma was scared that he would screw up royally. Ranma was then broken out of his thoughts by the slim arm of his beautiful wife wrapping around his waist. "Hi honey, feeling any better?" Ranma was concerned for his wife. For the past several days she has been getting violently ill, and after getting looked at by the resident doctor, Washu, a portion of Mihoshi's thoughts were cut off from him.  
  
"Just a little nausea. It should get better as the day progresses," Mihoshi answered with a comforting smile.  
  
"I really wish you'd tell me what's wrong with you. This not knowing is driving me insane."  
  
Mihoshi pulled away from her husband and looked him in the eyes. She could see the worry in those deep blue orbs, and it hurt her to know that she was the cause of her husband's pain. She decided then and there to confess the secret that she had been harboring these past few days. "Ranma. I'm pregnant."  
  
At Mihoshi's confession Ranma Saotome, a man among men that thrived in the chaos of his life, fainted dead away.  
  
*********  
  
As he walked through the bright and sun-shinny streets of a suburb in Heaven, Lucifer sulked. After the events at Jurai, God and he had come to an unspoken truce, and this was but one of the visits the dark king made to his brother's realm. There was one thing that really tweaked Lucifer about Heaven, it was too happy. Oh sure, Hell was a nice place to live for those innocents that lived there, but the environment was more like that of Earth. There were those less fortunate than others, but unlike the peoples of Earth, they weren't able to fall through the cracks and help was available to any that may need it. But Heaven, on the other hand, had an underlying current of joy that grated on the night loving Lucifer.  
  
Soon enough, Lucifer's journey was complete, and as he walked up to the large windows of one of the homes, he took off his sunglasses to take a look inside. On the thick carpet of the domicile's living room happily played a young girl no more than three months old. The only thing that set this child apart from any other child in Heaven or Hell was her eyes, they were purple and blue.  
  
"Visiting again?"  
  
Lucifer did not need to turn around to know whom the voice originated from. "I still don't understand why you saved her."  
  
"You would prefer I let her die?"  
  
"Of course not, there are so few of us left, but I thought that you would leave her fate to the mortals," Lucifer replied gruffly.  
  
"Her actions were not her own, but those of a woman in deep pain. I felt it was only right that she receive a second chance."  
  
"Yes, but to remove her memories and leave but a babe," Lucifer ask questioningly.  
  
"It was necessary for her to have memories of other than that of pain and loss. Look at how different Washu is. When she is ready her memories will return, but this time she will have others to help her through them." God then placed his hand on his brother's shoulder, "Fear not, my brother, Tokimi will return to us in her own time.  
  
*********  
  
The End.  
  
********* Author's Notes: Well that's it. After over a year in the works, The Light Hawk War is over and done. I would like to thank all of you who have kept the faith all this time. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. As I have said before, this is but the first book in these character's lives as I have left room for another story. Though if it never comes I hope that this ending is satisfying enough for you, the reader. For now, I shall take my leave of these characters, though I hope to revisit them sometime in the future. In the interim, be on the look out for another story that I have in the works, On the Wings of an Angel, a story that I shall be co-authoring with my brother PacMan.  
  
Until next time,  
  
Chaos Lord King of the Wicker People.  
  
Editor's Notes: If you've been reading this story for a while you probably know that there's never been a section for Editor's Notes before, and there's never really been a need for them. The reason I'm all the sudden putting notes in is because I wanted to inform all you faithful readers as to the cause of the delay in releasing these last two chapters. You see, I have had the fully written but unedited chapter 9 and the epilogue on a floppy disk in my computer for the last six weeks. The true cause of the delay is a combination of computer trouble, forgetfulness, and laziness on the part of the editor, not the author. I just felt that you all deserved to know the truth.  
  
Until next time,  
  
PacMan "WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA" 


End file.
